A word on the presenters

Mike Wojcik is Senior Vice President of the Horton Group, an insurance agency specializing in Insurance, risk advisory and employee benefits. He joined Horton in 1989 as one of the founding partners of its benefit consulting and brokerage division. Click here for more information on Wojcik.

We are striving to better accommodate our business owners and managers by improving the Downtown Tinley meeting structure and schedule. To end, meetings will now be held four times a year instead of monthly. Upcoming dates and proposed meeting topics include affordable health care at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 8; marketing at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 14; income taxes at 8 a.m. April 8; and social media at 11:30 a.m. June 10. For more information, contact Marketing Director Donna Framke at (708) 444-5045 or [email protected].

The Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce will host its fourth annual Bag Crawl on Saturday, Oct. 18 along Oak Park Avenue in Downtown Tinley. Registration begins at noon at Ed & Joe's Restaurant and Pizzeria, 17332 S. Oak Park Ave., where participants also will toss their first bag of the day. The first group of crawlers will leave Ed & Joe's at 1 p.m., and the second group will leave at 1:30 p.m. From Ed & Joe's participants will visit six more locations along Oak Park Avenue, tossing four bags at each location. Each stop will have snacks and drink specials for all Bag Crawl participants. The final route will be announced soon! Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 per person after Oct. 15 and include a T-shirt, food and drink specials at all locations, and a chance to win great prizes! Mulligans will be available for $5, as will a split-the-pot raffle. Click here to register for the event.

Garden Gallery & Studio will host its 58th annual Fashion Show from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Doubletree Hotel, 5000 W. 127th St., Alsip. The title of the event is, "Tip Your Hat to Growing Dignity and Independence." This year's show will feature the fashions of the Garden Center's own Second Chance Thrift Shoppe and will include raffles, entertainment, a silent auction and more. Luncheon tickets are $50 and are available online at www.gardencenterservices.org or by calling Sandra Coleman at (773) 941-4151, Ext. 218. Proceeds benefit Garden Center Services and Garden Gallery & Studio, a nonprofit agency supporting persons with developmental disabilities.

Those interested in volunteering to help out during next year's Midwest Wizard of Oz Fest can attend a planning meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the Kallsen Center at Tinley Park Village Hall, 16250 S. Oak Park Ave. Come share your talents and help the Village make this the best Wizard of Oz festival in the country. The Village welcomes individuals and groups interested in volunteering their time for this inaugural event. For more information, contact Special Events Coordinator Vicki Sanchez at (708) 444-5044 [email protected].

South Suburban College's Business and Career Institute will offer Consumer Wellness Advocate Certification Training on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the Mi-Jack Room on the first floor at the school, 15800 S. State St., South Holland. Consumer wellness advocate and client solutions specialist Alexandra Glumac will facilitate the training. Registration and a continental breakfast will be held at 8 a.m., followed by training from 8:15 a.m. to noon. The cost is $299 for those who register and pay before Oct. 1 and $349 for those who register after Oct. 1. Check, Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. Reservations and payment are required by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20. For more information or to register, call (708) 596-2000, Ext. 2346 or email [email protected]. You also can click here to read the full event flyer.