Celebrate Black History Month, Help Wanted, Bite Night and More!

Friday, February 23, 2024

Dear River Forest residents,

I’m proud to announce that our Village is a leader in waste recycling, through our ongoing efforts to be conscious about recycling materials that should not be mixed with refuse, along with composting, and overall – generating less waste – compared to more than 130 other communities. This goes to show that our emphasis on this important effort through our Sustainability Commission really does pay off, and helps us all to be kinder to our environment. You can learn more about this community accomplishment in an article below.

OPRFHS needs the community’s assistance by participating in The Illinois 5Essentials Survey, which closes Friday, March 29. The high school has currently received less than 10% of their parent/guardian and student responses -- and they need a minimum 20% response rate to receive their school report. I encourage parents, guardians, and students to please take this anonymous survey before the deadline. You can find the survey here.

Lastly, congratulations to Trinity High School student Anna Murphy! She received the “National Making a Difference On and Off the Field Award” for her volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, the Chicago Public Library, and the Special Olympics. You can learn more about Anna’s accomplishments and her interview with ABC 7 here.

Sincerely,

Cathy Adduci, Village President

Village of River Forest

Village President Visits Lincoln Elementary

Last week, Village President Cathy Adduci was honored to give a presentation about local government to Mrs. McCole's 3rd grade class at Lincoln Elementary School. Some of the topics she presented on included who the Village's elected officials are, what volunteer boards and commissions do, and services provided by the Village to residents. The children asked many questions and enjoyed learning about their local government!

African American Parent Dinner

The Oak Park River Forest High School’s Office of Equity and Student Success invites you to their annual National African American Parent Involvement Dinner in the South Cafeteria on Tuesday, February 27 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Dr. Pamela Ellis. To learn more or register, click here.

Bite Night

Tickets are now on sale for the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce’s “Bite Night” on Friday, March 1 from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park. This event will include more than 30 local vendors and restaurants to encourage residents to shop and dine locally. To buy tickets, click here. To register as a vendor or sponsor for the event, click here.

Recycling and Waste Assessment

The Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability recently released their 2022 Municipal Waste Recycling and Diversion Rates Report, which documents waste recycling activities for 133 suburban Cook County municipalities. In 2022, the average recycling rate was 18% and overall waste diversion rate was 27%. The average Cook County household generated an estimated 8.06 pounds of waste per day.

River Forest outperformed these averages through recycling more, composting more, and generating less waste overall. As indicated in the report, River Forest’s recycling rate was 30%, and the overall diversion rate was 39%, with an average household generating 7.14 pounds of total waste per day. This means River Forest residents produce nearly one less pound of landfill waste per day, compared to the average Cook County resident. Learn more about the Village refuse and recycling programs here. If you would like to help keep yard waste and food scraps out of landfills, sign up for the Village’s curbside composting program here.

Welcome to

New Principal

Tina Steketee, the current Assistant Principal at Roosevelt Middle School, will be taking over as the school’s new principal beginning July of 2024. Steketee brings more than 28 years of education experience to District 90 and has established a reputation as a transformational educator and administrator who empowers all students and staff to succeed. Steketee is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Concordia University. To learn more, click here.

Celebrate Black

History Month

February is Black History Month and a time to honor the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans throughout America’s history. Visit the River Forest Public Library throughout this month to explore special displays of their nonfiction and fiction titles highlighting Black History and experiences. Celebrate and connect to this important part of history by exploring recommended library resources, found here.

Park District Hiring for Summer Camp

The River Forest Park District is currently hiring for Summer Camp staff. If you are 18 years or older and have experience with children, check out their available employment opportunities, which include Summer Camp Directors, athletic supervisors and counselors, among others. To learn more about available positions or to apply, click here.

Troy Rides

Powered by Lyft

Triton College is now offering rides to students in need! Troy Rides, powered by Lyft, will provide rides to home or work up to two times a week within a 12-mile radius of Triton College. If you're interested in this service, please fill out the application here. After your application is completed, you will receive an email to set up an appointment. For more information, call 708-456-0300, Ext. 3383, or visit the Student Life Office in Room B-240.

Volunteer at the Historical Society

The Oak Park River Forest (OPRF) Museum is dedicated to preserving and telling stories about all aspects of life in the villages of both Oak Park and River Forest. Operated by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, the museum would not be as successful as it is without the time and talent of dedicated volunteers. OPRF Museum is seeking additional volunteers to help in areas such as: organizing and caring for the Museum’s collection of historic artifacts, greeting visitors, help with overall planning, research, leading tours and more! For additional information or to apply, click here.

New ComEd Electric Vehicle Charger

and Installation Rebate

ComEd is encouraging customers to apply for the new Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger and Installation Rebate program to promote EV purchases. Through the $5 million program, ComEd customers can receive rebates from $2,500 - $3,750 to offset the cost of purchasing and installing a Level 2 charger in their home in 2024. These chargers can charge an EV battery six to eight times faster than charging from a wall outlet, which is often referred to as a Level 1 charger. For more information, including eligibility information, click here.

River Forest Business Spotlight!

Good Earth Greenhouse is a local greenhouse that offers a wide variety of plants and garden decor, a garden coach - as well as a floral designer to help plan weddings, proms and other event designs. If you're looking for spring plantings, show your support and explore their selection! For more information, click here.

Please support local businesses whenever possible! If you have a business located in River Forest with a valid business license, it can be featured in the Village’s business spotlight. If you’d like your business to be featured, please send us an email. You can find a listing of River Forest businesses on the Village’s Shop River Forest website.