Cook County news briefs

A bit of pampering to more than 60 dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds was coupled with a bake sale and generated more than $1,000 for the nonprofit which turns 100 years old next year.

WINNETKA

Memorial Day dog wash raises $1,000 for Hadley

Pups, suds, and plenty of laughs proved the perfect mixture of ingredients resulting in a successful Hadley Teen Board Dog Wash held on Memorial Day at Hadley’s recently renovated offices on Elm Street in downtown Winnetka.

A bit of pampering to more than 60 dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds was coupled with a bake sale and generated more than $1,000 for the nonprofit which turns 100 years old next year.

New Trier High School seniors Edie Browne and Emily Ridder served as event co-chairs and were joined by more than a dozen of their peers who serve alongside them on the Hadley Teen Board.

“I loved being a part of this event and it was so fun to work as a group,” said Schotz, “It’s a true team operation. Everyone worked hard to ensure the event ran smoothly.”

Following a sudsy bath and rinse, the pooches were adorned with a Stars & Stripes bandanna while their owners were provided ice cream cone certificates complements of Graeter’s Ice Cream in Hubbard Woods.

All proceeds benefit Hadley, which offers learning opportunities free of charge to adults with vision loss and their families, and affordable tuition to blindness professionals. Hadley is the largest educator of braille worldwide and each year serves more than 60,000 individuals in all 50 states and in 100 countries.

The Hadley Teen Board is comprised of young adults from area high schools who meet monthly to plan various events. Interested high schoolers are always welcome to join the board and are encouraged to contact Sara Ridder at Hadley 847-784-2876 for more information.

Hadley was founded by William Hadley following his loss of vision at age 55. Today, the Winnetka-based nonprofit is well-positioned to assist the increasing number of older adults facing vision loss later in life due to such conditions as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

CHICAGO

Harold Washington College explores Chicago’s music roots

As Chicago prepares to kick off its annual Blues Fest, Harold Washington College’s 11th Floor Gallery is presenting an exhibit of archival photographs curated by the Chicago Blues Museum called “Unsung Bronzeville—Cultural Incubator of Sound,” which provides a glimpse into the beginnings of popular music in Chicago.

Unsung Bronzeville, running through June 30, explores Chicago’s Blues, R&B and Soul music scene of the 1940s through 1970s with its early beginnings in Bronzeville, the same neighborhood former mayor Harold Washington, and college namesake, was born and raised.

Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. School groups and exhibit tours can be scheduled by calling 312-553-3150. The college is located in the Loop at 30 E. Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60601. For more information on the Chicago Blues Museum call 773-723-5031.

The exhibit showcases a selection of Chicago Blues Museum archival photographic images of homegrown Chicago musicians, entertainers, and performers, as well as places and companies where this popular music originated and evolved.

The exhibit’s images document music icons in historic neighborhood nightclubs and venues like the Club DeLisa, Checkerboard and the 708 Club where talented artists honed their skills and later recorded much of their work for the music studios and labels on Record Row, first located in Bronzeville, then on South Michigan Avenue. Featured are (among others) Chicago Blues pioneers Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters; DeLisa jazz legends Red Saunders, Joe Williams, Sun Ra, and many, many others.

The exhibit also highlights artists at the famed original Regal Theater, where more than four decades Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, B.B. King, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, the Jackson 5, and many others performed.

Harold Washington College remains committed to music and the arts, just as the former mayor was. The college offers a basic certificate programs in Music Business and Music Technology, as well as associate degrees in Music Performance, Music Education, Art Studio and Dance.

ROSEMONT

Vitalant, Facebook join forces to reverse blood shortages

Vitalant, formerly known as LifeSource, is a partnering blood center on Facebook’s blood donation feature launched June 12. More than 30,000 blood donations are needed every day in the U.S. to help transform the lives of patients affected by trauma, elective and emergency surgeries, cancer and blood disorders. The tool is designed to help raise awareness and blood donation opportunities every day, as well as in times of need, whether due to tragedy or seasonal declines in donation. This feature allows any registered user to respond to the call for blood donations and become part of the solution to the nation’s escalating blood shortages.

Vitalant is excited to partner with Facebook on bringing this feature to the U.S. after enormous success in donor engagement in Bangladesh, Brazil, India and Pakistan. This feature is a creative solution to energize a movement around blood donations and help individuals contribute to the health of their neighbors and communities when the need is highest.

The timely release of Facebook’s donation tool coincides with a blood drive held at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California June 11 demonstrating the transformational impact of blood donation for both the donor and the patient. With more than 125 donation centers and more than 30,000 blood drives held annually across the nation, Vitalant provides easy and convenient ways for potential donors to save lives.