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For more than two decades, people have gathered one spring morning each year to stroll together through the streets of Hinsdale in support of Wellness House. Known as the Walk for Wellness House, the event raises money for the organization's cancer support programs and awareness of the services provided for people with cancer and their loved ones. "It's something that the community has grown to expect and look forward to being part of," said Executive Director Lisa Kolavennu....
New Hinsdale Central High School graduate Vivian Eck wants to turn her love of fashion into a career, and she's not waiting until after college to get started. "I realized I didn't have to wait," said Eck, who was spurred to action when she read her senior letter - a letter she had written to herself as a high school freshman. Realizing that she still held the same dream of starting her own fashion company, she decided to waste no more time. In November 2019, Eck presented...
Since recently selling her Hinsdale home of eight years, real estate agent Anna Fiascone has some advice for other professionals in her field. Sell your own home. "It reminds you to have a lot of empathy for your clients," said Fiascone, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago. She said the experience of selling her beloved family home, searching for another and moving has made her even better equipped to manage and understand the stress felt by the homeowners...
Since the COVID-19 shutdown began in March, church service has looked different, yet quite familiar, to Dina Zeilstra and her family. Members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hinsdale, the Zeilstra family gathers in their home every Sunday to watch the live stream of their church's weekend service. It's a new weekend ritual practiced by church-going families of every denomination. With buildings shuttered to protect against the spread of coronavirus, churches everywhere turne...
Growing up in South Carolina, Brian Kenney loved visiting the ocean and admiring its creatures. And while Chicago doesn't offer much of an ocean view, Kenney has found a way to enjoy and support ocean wildlife while living in the Midwest. As Kenney transitioned into the role of CEO of Chicago-based GATX Corp. in 2005, he began looking for a single nonprofit organization to which he could offer his time and expertise. Already a "huge fan" of the Shedd Aquarium, Kenney said his...
Mira Albert's pediatric dental practice was preparing to close its doors even before the world shut down due to COVID-19. "By March 15 I realized we just needed to not be seeing patients anymore," Albert said. She said she closed the practice not only to protect her staff and patients, but also to conserve valuable personal protection equipment for those directly fighting the pandemic. So while businesses around her were proceeding as usual, she and her fellow doctors and staf...
Donna Vorreyer never wanted to be anything but a teacher. "I was one of those kids who loved school," she said. "There was never a doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted to do." In her 36-year teaching career, Vorreyer taught students from kindergartners through eighth-graders. But it was the middle schoolers who she came to enjoy most. "I started to realize how much more I could do with the older kids," said Vorreyer, who after a few years teaching in the lower grades...
As the rain continued to fall Sunday night, Jordan Koshgarian's phone continued to ring. Peoples' homes had water where it didn't belong, and they knew to turn to the century-old local business for help. "They want to get their basements cleaned out and dried out," said Koshgarian, vice president of Koshgarian Rug Cleaners Inc. of Hinsdale. Along with the rug cleaning services that remain at the heart of the family-owned business, water restoration is one in an array of...
Volunteer work has always been part of Dot McCarthy's life. From preparing breakfast for guests at the PADS homeless shelter to raking leaves for senior neighbors, McCarthy said she enjoys giving back to her community any way she can. Involvement in Community Memorial Foundation's second annual Young Community Changemakers program allowed her to take her commitment to service to a whole new level. The Young Community Changemakers program, also known as YC2, is a leadership...
For more than 50 years Hinsdaleans have turned to the experts at Vern Goers Greenhouse for their gardening needs. And while things are a bit different this time around, owner Phil Goers said he expects this year to be just as busy, if not busier, than every year before. While much of the world stood still in March and April, Goers and his staff were busy preparing for the months ahead by planting and growing seedlings and stocking the store with everything the at-home...
While businesses everywhere scramble to reinvent themselves in light of the COVID-19 lockdown, John Yurchak said it's pretty much business as usual at The Fruit Store in Hinsdale - and busier than ever. "We've always run a clean, tight ship," said Yurchak, co-owner of the family-owned business that has kept the people of Hinsdale supplied with fresh fruits and vegetables since 1982. He said delivering the best products with personal service has always been key. The result is a...
Just a few months ago, cycling was a way for Rick Johnson, co-owner of King Keyser in Hinsdale, to get outdoors and stay in shape. Now, it's become his business. Cycling and bike repair have long been in the wheelhouse of several members of the King Keyser team, who are avid cyclists and experienced bike mechanics. But until recently, they left the business of bike repairs to their neighbors at Hartley's Bike Shop. "This is an area of business we have not pursued out of...
For Carol Burck, spring cleaning doesn't just mean washing windows and cleaning out closets. As a master gardener, the promise of warmer weather takes her outdoors. Burck has spent spring's sunniest days cleaning and preparing her garden for this year's growing season and looking forward to the day when her Hinsdale yard is once again filled with delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers. Now semi-retired from a career in cancer research, the molecular biologist said she has...
What is the goal of the American Nutrition Association? A healthy diet isn't one-size-fits-all. That's something that Michael Stroka learned the hard way. Despite eating what he believed to be a healthy, balanced diet, Stroka became so ill more than a decade ago, he couldn't go to work. Diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, he was desperate for a solution that would make him feel better. "That's when I started doing deep, therapeutic nutrition," Stroka said. He engaged in...
A single sentence changed Colleen Bordeaux's view of the world and her own future. The lifelong Hinsdalean was a student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when she entered a study abroad program in Capetown, South Africa. Her work there included a volunteer position at an orphanage, where four women cared for 84 children. During orientation, Bordeaux, then Colleen Kelly, was told to avoid asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. "I wasn't to ask...
These days, it's all about social distancing. Thanks to the internet, the great outdoors and some super creative people, Hinsdaleans can find lots of fun things to do while also staying safe. Local organizations are busy coming up with creative ways to keep kids busy and keep parents happy. Here are a few. #HinsdaleatHome Fun With public parks scattered throughout the village, Hinsdale has plenty of places where families can get outside, get some exercise and have some fun....
Larysa Domino's career as a real estate broker is a convergence of all the things she loves - people, her community, her family and finance. "It's been a great fit for me," said Domino, who entered the real estate world more than four years ago. She initially pursued a career in corporate finance before spending a few years as a stay-at-home mom. A Hinsdale native, Domino, like many, moved back to her hometown to raise a family. She loves the community for the same reasons...
Faith Drescher had only been in school a couple of years when she decided that's where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. Since second grade, Drescher has known that her future is in education. But it wasn't until she was selected for the Illinois State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council that she realized education doesn't take place only in the classroom. As a freshman at Hinsdale Central, Drescher was encouraged by a teacher to apply for membership on the...
When Jim Piontowski started his new job with the village of Hinsdale, Jimmy Carter was president. Sports fans were discovering a new source of sports information called ESPN, and Americans had yet to fall in love with Pac Man. A lot has changed in and around Hinsdale since January 21, 1980. But one constant is Piontowski, who for 40 years has enjoyed his job as building maintenance supervisor for the village he considers home. Although he now lives in nearby Darien with his...
When Elliana Teuscher auditioned for a summer intensive with the Joffrey Ballet two years ago, she knew the experience could change her life. She had no idea to what extent. In addition to being accepted to the summer program, Teuscher also was invited to join the American Conservatory Program - a training program for dancers 14 to 18 years old who are preparing for professional careers in dance. Accepting the coveted invitation meant leaving Hinsdale Central High School,...
Even if you're not in the cast, you might see yourself on stage at this year's Community Revue. Hinsdale's spoof on itself returns Feb. 28-29 and March 6-7 to once again poke fun at Hinsdale happenings while supporting the important work of The Community House. Portraying properties and pieces from a Monopoly board, the 23-member cast of "Hinsdopoly" will sing, dance and spare almost no one as they explore and expose the village's notable developments, discussions and...
Gabrielle Tufano loved painting and drawing, but as a college student, her hobby didn't have a place on her intended career path. Teaching art certainly never crossed the science major's mind. A single comment from an art professor at Illinois Benedictine University changed all that. "He told me that the world will always have enough doctors. What it needed was a great figure painter," Tufano said. That's when she turned her course of study from pre-med to painting. Tufano now...
Herbert Wang said his love of science is something his father began fostering when he was just a child. Rather than quiz his son on the periodic table or test his knowledge of mathematical theories, Jin Wang asked a simple question, over and over again: "How does it work?" The curiosity and knowledge that resulted from asking and answering that question time and again is what Wang believes led him to where he is today - the laboratory at University of Chicago. That's where, as...
Locks on steamer trunks don't last forever. That simple fact was the start of a family business that's been around for 100 years. Kaehler Luggage got its start when Walter Gustav Kaehler, a Chicago locksmith, saw potential in not just fixing the trunks commonly used by travelers in the early 1900s, but selling them. "He got the brilliant idea to start stocking steamer trunks and opened up a store in Evanston," said Buzz Kaehler, the founder's grandson and the business'...
Newcomer is a title that Heather Laughman has held more than once. And no matter how many times she finds herself as a resident of an unfamiliar new town, it's always a challenge to make it feel like home. As a member and former co-president of the Newcomers and Neighbors of the Greater Hinsdale Area, she tries to make that transition easier for those who are new to Hinsdale. Laughman said she remembers feeling a little lost, lonely and overwhelmed shortly after moving to...
