When you meet Eric Smoot and Silviu Gansca, their energy is the first thing you notice. Both men radiate the passion that comes from doing something you love—changing lives through fitness and through their work in the community. Every year their company, Redefined Fitness in Wilmette, adopts 10 families from a homeless shelter in Indiana. […]
Mia McNary is a Fourth-of-July sparkler—“zizzling” positivity in every direction— with one exception: She never burns out. No matter how strong a wind blows her way. Autism is the cyclone that blasted the McNarys in 2001, when her then 2-year-old son Colin was first diagnosed. Although he had exhibited suspect behaviors, McNary and husband Tim were […]
Each year students at Highland Park High School (HPHS) organize a nationally recognized, student-run Charity Drive. The effort gains more momentum and energy every year, and was featured in The Wall Street Journal in 2008. This year will be the biggest outreach ever. Charity Drive co-chairs Julia Greenberger, Emma Kravitz, and Rachel Weiss reviewed over […]
Deirdre Picchietti’s husband, David, is one of those men who never missed a day of work. “Dave is tough,” Picchietti explains. “If he had a fever or the flu, he’d take some medicine and head to the construction site. and if he wasn’t well enough to go to his main job, he’d go work at […]
For $75 an hour, Suzanne Newman will become your best girlfriend and gently makeover your closet, your looks and possibly even your life. She’ll sit on your bed and share stories in her sweet, slightly Southern accent, and her presence will be so warm and comforting, you’d never guess what she’s been through. Then again, […]
For most people, cancer is a bombshell they never expected. Unfortunately for Cris Persico, a native of Argentina, cancer is like a ghost that has haunted her, following her from her childhood into adulthood. Both her parents died of the disease when she was a young adult. Then, in 1995, the youngest of her four […]
Do you know someone who deserves to have a reminder of her family’s spirit, love and hope? Perhaps this family has a loved one away at war or has experienced a tragedy this year. Or perhaps it is a single parent who is struggling or someone who is selflessly going above and beyond to give […]
For many small, independent retailers around Chicagoland, 2009 has not been a great year. So with the make-or-break holiday season right around the corner, Rachel Hershinow, owner of the boutique called Stella on Central Street in Evanston, believed it was time to take action by attracting business to her store instead of waiting for business […]
‘When the economy goes south circulation goes up,” says Kay Grabbe, Lake Forest’s librarian, where overall traffic has increased 33 percent from last year. Reflecting trends seen across the country, North Shore library use has reached record levels this year according to statistics gathered by the North Sub- urban Library System. Here is a sampling […]
The past year has been tough on local businesses, but these three female-owned North Shore companies have done more than survive the storm; they’ve thrived. The woman entrepreneurs share some common traits—a passionate belief in their products, dedication to their customers, and an incredible work ethic.Their successes bring much-needed sunshine to an economic climate that, […]
