Singing Mailman

You have to check out this Chicago mailman's impromptu Christmas sing-a-long! 

The Onion A.V. Club in Chicago was recording "Silent Night" with Andrew W.K. when their bubbly mailman walked through the door. They knew he enjoyed singing, so they asked him to step in and sing with Andrew. Take a look:

Andrew W.K. and Rodney The Mailman cover "Silent Night"


I love this friendly and fabulous mailman!  You can tell he's a hard worker who truly enjoys life.  He's the perfect man to help spread the Christmas spirit :)

98th Birthday Wish Granted

A lifelong Chicago Bulls fan had his biggest wish granted just after his 98th birthday.  

James Ream lives at the Countryside Care Centre in Aurora, where he's getting care for congestive heart failure.  He never made it to a Bulls game, and staff members say he's too sick to make it to one now.

Since he can't get to a game, Ream wished for one of his favorite players to come to him!  At his 98th birthday party, he wished to meet former Bull, Bob Love.

Well, the Passages Hospice "Dream Program" helped make it happen and granted Ream's wish yesterday with a visit from Love.  Both men were excited about the meeting. Here's what Love told the Beacon-News:

“This really makes my day to come out here and say hello to everybody.  They gave me the right name. I’ve got a lot of love to give.”

Here's a link to the full story on their meeting in the Beacon-News:  Bulls great helps grant man's 98th birthday wish

Click here to learn more about the Passages Hospice Charitable Foundation, which runs the "Dream Program".

High Five Singers

I loved this story in the Chicago Tribune today!  It's about a choir at New Trier High School that was created five years ago for students with special needs.  They practice and perform alongside general music students. The extracurricular choir has become so popular it's now offered as a course for credit. 

The choir helps students with special needs grow musically and socially, while giving them a place to fit in and feel accepted.  Here are the lyrics from their signature song, "Don't Laugh at Me": 

"Don't laugh at me. 
Don't call me names.
Don't get your pleasure from my pain.
Deep inside we're all the same."

Thanks to a couple of teachers with a big idea, kids with differing abilities are learning to work together and bring out each others strengths.

Take a look at the full article by Tara Malone here:  Choir emphasizes teens' ability to sing

Real Life Elves

There are real life elves at work in DuPage County! Members of the DuPage Woodworkers group were hard at work this year creating toys for their annual toy drive. 


They delivered 895 hand crafted toys to area children last month! Here's a photo that was in their monthly newsletter, which shows off some of their amazing work:

They've already gotten loads of thank you notes back from the happy kids! 


Read more about the club and its toy drive at Trib Local:  Tool Time:  DuPage club creates handmade toys for annual drive

Singing YouTube Teacher

I just read a TribLocal article about a teacher in Northbrook who sings songs on YouTube to help his students understand his science lessons. 

The popularity of his videos continues to grow and now students from across the country are watching them, and thanking him for helping make complex theories  understandable.

You're going to love Doug Edmonds of Wood Oaks Junior High School! Take a look: 

Here's a link to his YouTube Channel so you can check out all his videos! 

TribLocal:  Singing science teacher attracts YouTube following

Kiss My ALS

An inspiring Chicago area blogger passed away last week.  Anne Marie Schlekeway suffered from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  It took her voice and eventually her life. 

Schlekeway became an inspiration to many people when she started her blog, KissMyALS.com after being diagnosed.  She gave frank advice to others suffering and helped people put their lives into perspective.  


WTTW interviewed Schlekeway in June.  Check out the story below to see how this amazing woman lived her short life to the fullest: 

Here's an example of Schlekeway's inspirational blogging.  This is a post she wrote back in September that truly needs no introduction: 

So why is it people with ALS who are out there talking and blogging are so damn inspiring? Many of us have a similar tone, humor and directness about ourselves and our situation. We are a loving if impatient lot, with plenty of material presented by life, the loss of functions and the medical system to fuel our dialogue. I think we are the WAKE UP CALL, it seems people are waiting for something…and what’s wanted and needed is for them to wake up! And take control of their own lives.

So you can learn how to live from those of us who are learning how to die. As you hear us confront the loss of simple pleasures and functions you can more greatly appreciate yours. Do me a favor and today appreciate your necks…give thanks for your neck and it’s stregnth and flexibility. Today I’m wearing a neckbrace for the 2nd day because my head is too heavy for my neck as I sit at my computer. So be happy about your working thriving neck.

Do my a second favor and unplug from your media swirl today and sit in silence. Do some journaling. Breathe. This isn’t for me this is for you. Most people I see are not present…to anything. They are so wound up in the constant barrage of information and reacting to it they barely register an original opinion. Sit. Breathe. Think. Cry. Smile. Get present to the wondrous amongst the ordinary. Make this a daily practice. Take back your life. Listen to your own voice…ask yourself “What do I want?” And sit there regularly until you hear a clear answer.

Remember the play, Our Town? Emily says,”Do any human beings realize life while they live it? Every minute?”

Narrator: “No.”

Wake up. Pay attention. It’s your time. Savor your life and the details in it. This is really it, you know.

Drum for a Cause

A local pizza shop owner who lost his wife to cancer now travels the country with his daughter and a drum kit to raise money for cancer research. 

Dean Bobisud is a huge fan of the band Rush.  So when he saw the Rush drum kit up for auction, he bid on it and won!  The Glen Ellyn resident decided to travel around the country with his 10-year-old daughter and share the kit with other fans.  


They let fans pay to play the drums and give all the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. 

Check out the full story at TribLocal:  What a Rush

Chicago Inspired by Santo

This morning, Chicagoans woke to news that legendary Cubs player and announcer Ron Santo passed away.  News of his death spread quickly with fans posting their condolences on news sites, twitter and facebook.  It was inspiring to read through all the messages and see how much of an impact he had on the hearts of people in Chicago.  Here are just a few of the messages:

"To me, Ron Santo's legacy is his inspiration to people everywhere who have diabetes, like me. He showed us all that you don't have to be defeated by this disease if you have the heart and desire to pursue your dreams."

-Estamalbob via ESPN.com

"I love you Ron Santo and thanks for being such a big part of my childhood and life. I tried to emulate your every move at third base. I ran home from school just to catch the last couple of innings on channel 9. I try now to live every moment with as much enthusiasm as you would have in the booth."

-CubsWillWinIt via MLB.com

"This past summer Mr. Santo took time before a game at Wrigley to speak with my wife about their prosthetic legs (my wife is a double leg amputee). He posed for a picture with our family. During a spring training game in AZ he signed a baseball for me. In short, he was gracious and warm with fans of the Cubs, with fans of the game and with his own fans. He reminds me of my own father - a diehard fan for whom you wish, even more than for yourself, that the Cubs will someday win The Series."

-Cubslifer via ChicagoTribune.com

"We Cardinal fans are shedding tears for #10. His passion for his beloved Cubs and Baseball transcends team lines. Always got a chuckle listening to Ronnie. Isn’t that the greatest compliment of all!"

-Marinna via CBSLocal.com

Skating With The Best

About 60 children from the Chicago Housing Authority got the chance to skate with the best on Thursday!  

Thanks to a non-profit organization called 1World Sports, they got to meet (and skate with!) Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks.  For many, it was their first time ever being on the ice.  

1World Sports is a wonderful organization that uses sports to help teach and motivate at risk children.  The non-profit collected donations and used hockey gear to give the kids this awesome experience. 

Lots of people in the Chicago area stepped up and donated!  Check out this 1World Sports video showing all the gear people brought in for the kids: 

Hockey Equipment Drive - Dec 2 2010 from 1World Sports on Vimeo.

The Chicago Sun-Times has some great pictures from the event!! Check them out here!