Children enjoying themselves at Flying High in Countryside on January 14. (Supplied photo)
Venezuelan asylum seeking families enjoy a night out at Flying High in Countryside
By Carol McGowan
Twenty-three adults and 30 children of Venezuelan families seeking asylum enjoyed a fun night out on January 14 courtesy of Flying High in Countryside.
The event was a collaboration between St. Cletus Church in LaGrange, and Flying High, at 5400 East Avenue in Countryside.
Flying High opened their gym doors over 30 years ago, and has grown big time over the years.
Today, more than 1,500 students come through Flying High each week. They offer a wide variety of competitive and recreational programming, including gymnastics, tumbling, and a ninja zone.
They also offer birthday parties, open gyms, camps and special events.
Kendall Grant, director of Social Concerns at St. Cletus Parish, said about six months ago, St. Cletus was put in touch with 23 families seeking asylum that were place in a hotel shelter in their area.
The church has been supporting the families with weekly food assistance, fun outings, clothes and toys donations, as well as, some fellowship opportunities.
“Those who have been interested, have joined us for weekly Mass in Spanish, prayer opportunities, our Santa Brunch, and Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.”
The help and support has not stopped there.
“Families are now beginning to transition out of emergency shelter and into housing. St. Cletus has taken the lead in organizing Welcome Packs for each family. This includes almost everything you need for a new home: bedding, towels, dishes, cleaning products, etc. Each Welcome Pack is valued at $600-$800. We are partnering with other area organizations such as D105, Nazareth Academy, the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. John of the Cross and St. Francis Xavier, to assist in this process,” said Grant.
“As the kids were starting to go a little stir crazy in the shelter over winter break, we were able to host them all for lunch and games, including a piñata, in the St. Cletus gym.”
Grant said Flying High was the perfect place to hold a private party, and when asked, they offered to not only host it, but to provide the food as well.
There was then the question of how to get everyone there.
Grant said it all came together with the help of Flying High and local elected officials.
Lyons Township Supervisor Christopher Getty made the transportation possible after hearing it was needed.
“Countryside Mayor, Sean McDermott, made the request for transportation on the groups behalf, and the Township was happy to assist by providing the Township busses and staffing.”
Through translation, the families shared their excitement on the evening.
“Thank you for this moment of making us all feel like children again; God Bless your work to give us tonight, such a beautiful and creative time for all the children; and, thank you for giving us such and exciting night with family and friends.”
“It turned out to be a wonderful evening,” said Grant.
“The event turned out great, and we thank everyone that was involved to make it happen. Parents and children enjoyed foam pits and rope walls together, and it was a carefree night of celebrating and good fun. We are so grateful for all that have helped host this event! As we all know, it can be difficult in the colder months to be stuck inside with young kids. We were excited to have the opportunity to let the kids run around and enjoy some normalcy together.”
Christine Deck and Laura Newman are co-owners of Flying High, and were happy to offer their services.
“A month or so before Christmas, we were thinking of those children,” said Deck.
“We were coming up with ideas on how we could help them, so when we were contacted, we were more than willing. We were so, so happy for those children to hang out and enjoy time together.”
For more info on Flying High, visit flyinghighgym.com
Local News
Obituaries May 9, 2024
Spread the loveDOLORES DESPARROIS Dolores Desparrois (nee Raudis), age 87, of Chicago, Garfield Ridge community, passed away peacefully April 25. Beloved wife of the late Robert W. Desparrois; loving mother of Robert (late Julie) Desparrois, Joseph (Rose), Raymond (Kim), and Kenneth; grandmother to 12 children Nicholas, Bobby, Nicole, Johnny, Amanda, Becky, Christine, Sharon, Jennifer, Wendy,…
Mother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side…
Sign changes cause controversy in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Despite a controversy about signage, the Frederick T. Owens Village Hall, the William R. Vogel Civic Center and the Franklin Loebe Recreation Center will continue to be named after those three historic Orland Park men. “Nothing has changed,” Mayor Keith Pekau said after the May 6 meeting. But a recent…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave;…
Comings & Goings: Orange’s Pancake House now open in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos Heights is the home of a popular new breakfast café. Orange’s Pancake House, 11845 Southwest Highway, held a ribbon-cutting event on April 18. Owners, Elvia Briones, of Virgina, and Fernando Cruz, of Evergreen Park, said they were very excited to be in the heart of the Palos Heights community.…
Sisters make Chicago Lawn a world destination
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Earlier this month was the Fifth Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival, with distinguished guests from Lithuania and other parts of the United States visiting the neighborhood. They held a photo session in the editorial office of…
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Yet another Mother’s Day is upon us. I wish everyone a happy day. By everyone I do mean everyone. There are a lot of dads who do it alone, along with important mother…
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Neighbors
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com When Gov. JB Pritzker proposed his budget for the upcoming fiscal year in February, he sought authority from lawmakers to raise more than $1 billion in revenue through various changes to the state tax code. Among other things, he sought to raise $526 million through extending an expiring…
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…
Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Remembering Lee Milner
NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…
Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now. Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…