columbiafeatures

Repo men

By Sean Stillmaker

A silver Chevy Impala creeps down the street at 2 a.m. stopping at an address. The driver pulls out a black mag light, confirms the license plate of the car in the driveway and slowly moves on. He stops at the police station, turns over paperwork and meets his partner back at the address.

The partner backs in his Chevy Silverado equipped with a tow lift. Within five minutes the car is lifted and property cleared without their presence known, another repossession complete.

“The majority of our repossessions are done out here at night where we never meet the customer, and we prefer it that way,” said Fritz Fritzgerald, repossession field agent of Republic Recovery Service.

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Unlike what’s shown on TV, the repo men of reality adhere to professional standards that don’t get into altercations with debtors, don’t carry firearms and prefer stealth movements.

“Unfortunately these shows are on TV, people watch them and think this is repossession; it’s not, it doesn’t even come close to it,” said David Knopp, owner and operator of Republic Recovery Service.

Knopp has been in the repossession business for 30 years experiencing all the trends. The job demands grueling hours where agents scour the area extending beyond a 100-mile radius of their Blue Island location.

Assignments are issued from finance companies and pay is based off the recovery of collateral – cars are most commonly repossessed. However, repossession is the last stage a finance company wants to resort to because it’s a losing end. The company doesn’t make money on repossession and the customer increases their debt.

“The only way to make money repossessing cars is the Sam Walton way of doing things, Wal-Mart, volume,” Knopp said.

Repossession is highly competitive because they’re paid on commission. Republic Recovery Service thrives because it maintains a consistent volume. Between 25-30 cars are repossessed in week.

In 2009 at the height of the recession there were 30 assignments coming in daily. The chaotic volume has now subsided, but they may not last long. Knopp speculates that repossessions may spike again from customers who participated in the cash for clunkers program.

Repossession is a dangerous business, but contrary to public thought, the most dangerous element is driving from point A to point B. Agents are on the road at night where they’re susceptible to drunk drivers. Only one repossession agent at Republic Recovery Service in it’s 30 years died on the job. The agent died in a car crash from a DUI driver.

The other dangerous element is repossessing the vehicle. When a debtor sees someone by their car in the middle of the night their first reaction is a car thief. If the debtor rushes outside to confront the situation an agent immediately calls them by name.

“That usually slows anybody down,” Fritzgerald said. “No car thief who’s out stealing your car is going to know your name.”

The debtor then will go from defensive mode to bargaining mode. They’ll plead to work something out or play on the agent’s sympathies, but the end result will be a give up.

“We don’t have the power to negotiate,” Fritzgerald said. “We’re issued an order, we take the vehicle.”

The best way to repossess a vehicle is to use a key. Agents can cut keys on early model cars or they can have keys made from a locksmith. Using a key decreases exposure time and the agent won’t have the background noise of a loud diesel truck to blow his cover.

The most popular keys cut by a locksmith are for a Pontiac G6, said Brian VanDenburgh, locksmith. New model cars have a transponder in the key where the engine won’t turn over without the right key.

Agents don’t like committing the tow truck because it increases the risk. Back in the 80’s tow trucks were not used, agents “tooled the lock,” Knopp said. But because automotive technology advanced a tow truck is now needed.

One man's trucking dream

By Mario Lekovic

As the sun begins to set on a warm April Sunday afternoon, Boris Lukic turns on his 53-foot truck and begins the paperwork to hit the road. Once the Freightliner truck is on I-294, the setting sun beams a glare into the dirty windshield covered with spots from the previous night’s rainfall.

The truck is dirty from dust and empty water bottles and Monster cans cover the dirt-filled blue carpet underneath the seats. Lukic tries to put the garbage in bags but the turns on the road only empty it, making it look like a teenager’s bedroom.

Before becoming a truck driver, Boris Lukic’s dream was to become a police officer and work for the Chicago Police Department, and he was well on his way. Then suddenly his life took yet another major turn and he dropped out of school to fend for his family.

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Lukic’s father got very sick and he could no longer bring in an income to his family. Lukic took it upon himself to get a CDL and slowly start building what is to become his empire, Victory Express Inc.

“When my dad got sick, I got a CDL and began driving 7 days a week just to help my family,” said Lukic.

For the first year, Lukic lived out of his truck. He worked for an independent company and drove 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not quite the American Dream he and his family had hoped for when they left the rubble filled Bosnia.

Achieving the American Dream is a feat not everyone conquers, especially immigrants coming to the country for various reasons. Lukic wanted his life in America to help him overcome the struggles he faced in Bosnia.

Even with all the odds stacked against him, Lukic decided he would be making more money if he opened up his own company, and that’s just what he did. Like immigrants who came before him, he has become a self-made business man showing that it is still possible to achieve the American Dream.

He got a contract at Empire Today LLC and moved to New York. To start his own company he needed trucks and drivers, and that’s what he found. He bought two trucks and hired one driver (he drove the other truck.)

Since this move wasn’t permanent, he lived out of his beaten up, scratched and torn up 1995 Alero and drove as much as he could. During the six months he was in New York, he met some incredible friends that happened to work for Empire Today LLC.

One of the better relationships he built in the big apple was with Oral Morgan, a supervisor at Empire Today LLC.

“He is just a great guy,” Lukic said. “He always let me use his car, took me out, and made me feel like I wasn’t alone in New York.”

On annual trips that Lukic makes to New York to see how things are being run he always meets up with Morgan. Out of respect, he always buys him and his crew lunch, something he doesn’t have to do but feel he should because Oral helped him while he was in New York.

On a recent trip, he bought each worker 20 hot wings from Hooters. At the end of their meal, orange colored napkins from the wing sauce lined the office. The five workers leaned back in their office chairs with their stomachs bloated so much that creases in the shirts were invisible. They shared stories about dog attacks and as most guys, they somehow began talking about cars.

“Boris is a very good man he know how to talk to people and give a lot respect,” said Oral about Lukic.

Driving a truck for thousands of miles at a time is mentally and physically tiring and it takes a special person to be able to do it flawlessly.

“Boris is a good driver and he takes care of his trucks which makes him the right one to do Empire loads, said Miljenko Vuckovic, president of MDS Trucking V, Lukic’s contractors.

As good of a driver as he is, even he has seen the failing economy strike the trucking business. Companies trying to survive are constantly in discussions with customers concerning rates, postponing the purchase or lease of new equipment and, in some cases, letting people go. Along with this, the fuel costs and constant concern for shipping rates puts the trucking business in rough waters.

On the trip to the Big Apple, Lukic had to refuel twice. Filling up gas on a standard car hurts the wallet, but filling up gas on a truck can put people into debt. His truck, which was dubbed the nickname Tornado for its messy interior hold 240 gallons of Diesel. At $3 a gallon, it costs him $720 to fill up. But with the way gas prices play the see-saw game, it is never a constant price. Lukic even has a separate credit card for fuel. This wouldn’t be so bad if he only had Tornado, but he has two more trucks in New York and one in Chicago. Add in money for toll roads and food, Lukic spends at least $20,000 per month on his trucks.

Lukic and his family would have never dreamed of making $20,000 a month while they were dodging bullets from the AK-47 and other various assault rifles on the unpaved streets of Zavdovic, Bosnia. He and his family were used to constant sounds of bullets leaving the pipes of the weapons and hitting buildings, trees, water and even people.

“Whenever a gun shot was heard, we never knew if our neighbor or even family members were dead or alive. It’s the worst feeling ever,” Lukic said.

Walking past their old middle school to grab supplies for his grandfather, Lukic and his four cousins noticed the tree house they had once built was blown to smithereens. Pieces of wood could be found split in half all over the field covered with long grass that at one point was green but had turned yellow from the smoke of weapons.

“He was always terrified when he heard gunshots,” said Natasa Lukic, Boris’s sister. “No 10-year-old deserves to be hiding in basements, not knowing why he can’t be out with his friends playing soccer.”

These reminders are what keep Lukic focused on the road. He knows what he has been through and that he is lucky to be alive.

As he grabs the wheel to head back to Chicago, Lukic has a smile from ear to ear. He checks the pink iPod covered with smudges from a black Sharpie that was used to mask the original color and puts the songs on shuffle mode. After about 30 minutes on the road, the sun is completely set and all that is seen are the headlights from oncoming traffic. In some states, even stars can be seen shining over the lush green trees on the side of the highway.

Lukic begins singing his lungs out to old Yugoslavian Folk Music which at one point made him even lose his voice.

“I always stay positive. My childhood wasn’t the best but I survived, so I have no reason not to be positive,” Lukic said.

Program fights obesity, budget cuts

By Miles Maftean

In the dimly lit gymnasium, Morton Patton’s voice echoes off the walls and envelops the group of 30 students doing sit-ups. As he walks between the students, peering at each one with his brown, beady eyes, he asks for more.

“I’m not going to tell you guys again,” Patton said. “The next person that slacks off on this exercise is going to make the whole class run sprints,” he added.

The students groan – one yells across the gym floor to his fellow classmates to “step it up.” Sweat glistens from the brows of the students as they muster the strength to finish the last exercise.

From the rows of perfectly lined, evenly spaced students, one would think this group is in basic training for the Army – not an after school program in the Chicago Public School system.

“I’m running the show,” Patton said to the students. “This may be your school, but for the next hour, it is my house,” he added.

For Morton Patton, it is just another day at the office.

The after school program he runs, known as P.H.I.T. (Proper Headstart in Training), is designed for CPS schools that wish to do more to combat the obesity problem plaguing their students. It's timely as First Lady Michelle has made fighting childhood obesity a national priority.

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Patton mentors the health of students, aging from first to sixth grade, by offering exercise classes weekly.

CPS is beginning to show a clear and concise plan in combating the obesity issue by hiring Patton. In fact, CPS seems to be initiating a head-on attack on obesity. Just last month, schools announced they would be taking sugary drinks and cereals off the menu. With a diet and exercise, the obesity problem may finally be beginning to subside – or at least be kept in control in some of these schools.

“These kids have no structure,” Patton said. “They’ll eat and eat and eat until someone tells them to stop and most of the time no one is there to tell them to stop,” he said.

Lately, he has become worried about the continuity of the program, since state lawmakers are proposing to cut CPS’ budget. His program has only operated in a few schools and comes at a time when physical education programs are facing cutbacks.

According to Monique Bond, the communications officer for CPS, the deficit for 2011 will be close to $1.2 billion. She said one of the first aspects of the budget to get cut are after-school programs.

“We would rather cut these programs than teacher salaries,” Bond said. “State funding just does not allow us to afford these programs,” she added.

Raised in Chicago’s inner city, Patton understands many of the difficulties that came along with being the CPS system. He grew up in some of the city’s worst areas, bouncing from some of Chicago’s toughest projects – Cabrini Green, Ida B. Wells. But he shares his experiences in order to motivate youth.

As the founder and director, he has been running the program successfully throughout Chicago since 2001.

During the weekly session, Patton runs the class much like a boot camp. When he walks into the room, the children automatically give him their utmost attention. He tends to begin most of his classes by having the children stretch out. His deep voice resonates with the students – all is quiet except for the echo of his voice. He commands – they follow.

“I don’t know what it is about him,” said Maureen Jamison, a mother of a student. “They just listen to him.”

After Patton finishes several exercises, he makes the class more fun and interesting for the students by playing games. During this particular class, the students are told they will be racing each other.

“Aw man,” said Torre Carter, a fourth grader in the program. “Everyone knows I’m the fastest here. No one can beat me,” he added.

Several students quietly nodded in unison – clearly, he was the undeniable running champion of the group.

Patton is optimistic that P.H.I.T. will continue. He will try to sell the idea of the after-school program to local churches and other private schools in the area.

Friendly cup of justice

By Laura Nalin

When most people step into a coffee shop, they are not sure where the coffee comes from. Tim Taylor, owner of Bucktown’s Ipsento coffee house, wanted to change that.

After researching the coffee industry, Taylor learned many coffee farmers live in poverty and struggle to provide for their families and communities.

Through inspiration from society’s growing interest in specialty coffees and his want for an equilibrium for workers, he created Coffee Ambassadors, a direct trade coffee company that buys coffee beans only through direct trade relationships allowing them to pay the farmer directly at a rate of a minimum 25 percent above fair trade and sustain cohesive relationships with the farmers.

“The big part is communicating dignity,” Taylor said. “They’re worth a relationship and they’re worth paying. They’ve been historically treated like trash, so it’s kind of somewhat making amends and brings me joy to have formed the relationships I have with the farmers.”

Coffee Ambassadors

Coffee Ambassadors, founded in 2006, get their beans from farmers in Honduras, Uganda, Guatemala and Tanzania. Members travel to the farms at least once a year in order to maintain their personal and direct relationship with the farmer and his/her community.

According to Nathan Smith, Coffee Ambassadors Vision and Sales Catalyst, this gives them an edge on quality control as well as the ability to invite interested and concerned groups to join us on our visits to the farms for development projects, specifically those who buy our coffee on a regular basis.

“The goal is sustainability and community transformation for the farming communities and the coffee industry itself,” Smith said. “Coffee is the second most legally traded commodity in the world behind oil and the largest food import into the United States, so the options and opportunities are endless. There are also a lot or crooks involved and very few centralized regulatory standards for how trade is done globally with coffee.”

He added that since coffee farmers are often exploited through their back-breaking work, some farmers are switching to narcotics in places like Ethiopia and Yemen because it is more lucrative despite the fact they don’t want to.

“We want to provide a better option a higher pay,” Smith said. “We believe that in order to change the way trade is done, there needs to be four bottom lines, not just profitability for the shareholders. Our four “bottom lines” are a social bottom line, an environmental bottom line, a spiritual bottom line and a profitable bottom line.”

Andrew Hetzel, who specializes in coffee retailing and roasting, green coffee making and branding operations and founder of Cafémakers, a coffee consulting company, located in Asheville, N.C., said most consumers believe that by drinking some type of social or environmentally certified coffee that they are helping to do some good in the world, which is really not the true value of these programs.

“Certification marks are intended to make it easy for the consumer to have some sense that good things are happening behind the scenes, but it is far more advisable that consumers take the time to really understand where their coffee come from,” Hetzel said. “Most consumers may be surprised to learn that the little mark that makes them feel so good about buying one coffee versus another does not necessarily help impoverished farmers in the way that they expect, or necessarily at all.”

He added that the word "sustainable" is often used to promote this cause, but he thinks that it has become too much of a buzzword to have any real meaning.

However, Coffee Ambassadors has proven to be different than most businesses.

The company’s Web site, CoffeeAmbassadors.com, provides the customer with he stories for each of the farmers, along with the paycheck they receive from the company. Through the sales of their Honduran beans, grown by farmers two farmers named Javier and David in San Matias, the company funded a home for orphans and disadvantaged children in the community. The company has recently partnered with Crop to Cup, another Chicago-based direct trade coffee company to provide customers with beans from the Ugandan region of Kapchorwa. The company was offered a Bucktown space to start a café by Wrigleyville church Missio Dei in 2008.

Taylor said he was hesitant to accept the offer due to lack of funds, however, with the help of volunteers and friends he brought Ipsento, 2035 N. Western Ave., to fruition.

The rustic and comfortable atmosphere that was created has become a hot spot for young professionals, students and locals. Chad Little, store manager of Ipsento, said his goal is for customers to see the shop as somewhere they can network and as more of a community center.

“Whether you’re an artist, a lawyer who comes in on your day off or a chef, I’d like for different people to intermingle,” Little said. “I think American coffee shops are largely consumeristic [sic] and I’d like for Ipsento to work as more of a community center.”

The brightly painted walls, decoupage tables constructed of old doors and vintage pieces donning the walls give the customer a sense of coziness as they can sit by the fireplace or in the upper area of the shop.

Hannah Bloomquist, sophomore vocal and music major at The Moody Bible Institute said she brought her six friends with her because the unique atmosphere and decorating made her feel it was a comfortable place to hang out and do homework. Bloomquist said she wasn’t aware the coffee was directly traded, but said that affects her choice to continue to frequent the shop.

“Everything seems to be organic here,” Bloomquist said. “If it helps out people and their jobs it definitely influences me to come back.”

While most customers were unaware of the social justice of the coffee shop, Valerie Powers, teacher at Bridgeport’s Holden Elementary School said she loves the fact the company sells direct trade coffee and also thinks it would impact people’s decisions if they found out about the coffee.

“I just love that this is such a great and above board company,” Powers said. “I’ve brought a lot of friends here and I’ve had mentoring sessions or meetings with other teachers here. It’s a great place to meet.”

While the specialty coffee trend seems to be taking off, Little said he wishes more companies would participate.

“If enough people participate and it became standard, it could turn into some kind of movement,” he said. “We need to highlight these origins where the coffees coming from. When it’s out of sight out of mind people don’t really care if they exploit, and the closer you can bridge that gap we can make people aware of what’s happening. I think it’d be really cool to see that happen.”

For more information on Coffee Ambassadors, visit CoffeeAmbassadors.com. For information on Cafemakers, visit Cafemakers.com.

Ipsento is open Mon.-Fri. 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Growing up Latino in Chicago

By Merika With

Gizella Meneses has always been intrigued by questions of identity and language.

She recalled how her cousin didn't speak English when he started the first grade. This was in the 1960s and the nuns would not give permission to go to the bathroom unless he spoke English. But he didn't know how to ask to use the bathroom.

"So he ended up peeing on himself," Meneses said. "And they punished him and kept him in a corner all day long. He flunked 1st grade because he didn’t know enough English.”

Meneses, who identifies herself as Ecuadorian, said stories like these motivated her to make a short film. It's called "Second Generation Stories: Growing Up Latino in Chicago" and focuses on second-generation Latinos and the exploration of identity.The film recently made its debut at the 26th Chicago Latino Film Festival.

Meneses, the director of the film and professor at Lake Forest College, kept seeing the question of identity brought up in her classes and discussions with friends.

“Like am I Hispanic? Am I Ecuadorian American? Am I Latina or Latino? When someone asks me where I’m from, that idea of engaging the situation what do they mean? Where am I from? What response are they looking for?” Meneses said. 

In the film there are 25 interviews of Chicagoans between the ages of 20-48 whose parents are immigrants. Meneses interviewed a variety of ethnicities from Mexican to Peruvian.

The first question the interviewees were asked was what words did they use to identify themselves.

“Latino,” said one of the characters of the film.

“Mexican American,” said another.

The reasoning behind the words they selected was the way they were raised in their home life. Some of the interviewees were raised with the same culture as their parents while some parents raised them to be American.

One of the interviews was young girl whose mom cooks meatloaf and spaghetti for dinner while her friends are eating rice or tortillas with their dinner.

Another interview said that his mom use to say to him "Hace como los romanos hace", which means "do as the Romans do."

The characters of the film also described how they adapted to American culture while growing up Hispanic at home.

The film also describes what the characters are going through when faced with being stereotyped.

One interviewee stated that he wasn’t taken seriously enough because he was Mexican-American.

There are expectations to act a certain way said one girl who was once told that she was not Latina enough.

People don’t identify them with the right ethnicity and are closed minded by the way they look.

Another challenge they face is that people generally assume that all Latinos think the same and like this past elections “the Latino vote” was one of those assumptions.

 “The fact that, even not coming from Chicago, like I’m from Texas, a lot of the ideas that the interviewees talked about were very relatable but it was also interesting since Texas a predominately Mexican population and seeing how that diversity functions in another large city,” said Toni Ann Trevino, a student from Northwestern University who saw the film. 

Trevino said she could relate to the movie since her own mother didn’t want to teach her Spanish “because well you will be looked at funny.”

Ricardo Martinez, the director of a small movie called the Wall, could also relate to what the characters of the movie went through to adapt.

“I remember for Halloween my mom dressed us up as migrant workers when I was eight years old. What did we know at eight years old? The clothing that we wore on Halloween, people thought we were dressing up as hobos. And my mom said we were dressing up as farm workers,” said Martinez, a 28 Californian native.

The reasoning behind the customs Martinez said was because his mom was very proud of where they came from.

“I think anything you do as Hispanic is Hispanic. I think there is no way that you cannot be Hispanic. If that means I buy iPods and eat McDonalds I’m dong it like a Latino. And I don’t think there is a way to be Hispanic or Latino. I think that the best thing about being 2nd generation is to think everyday differently, and like the freedom in that. The freedom of to identify what it is to be Hispanic,” Martinez said.

Charity is Love...Christa's Story

By Amber Powell 

Christa McPherson is a teenager whose room is full of yellow and black bags from Forever 21, Chuck sneakers and a collection of stylish non-prescription glasses. Her retro style and fluorescent hot pink, yellow and lime green colored nail extensions with an acrylic butterfly protruding from her ring fingered nail would catch anyone’s attention. Christa is certainly drawing attention, not for her unique sense of style but for the organization she founded called "Charity is Love."

Charity is Love was launched in 2009  to provide love, hope and healing to children in Third World countries. 

It is a branch of the Gideon group created by Christa’s parents to help  motivate young people around Chicago.

 

 

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 The organization's title derived in a unique way. “My middle name is Charity and my mother’s name is Love and my grandmother was named the love child of her family, so Charity is Love evolved from three generations,” Christa said. 

A current project that Charity of Love is working on is a book drive to raise 10,000 books in order to build up a dilapidated high school in Abeokuta, Nigeria. According to Christa, this school was known for its prestigious curriculum and at the level of a college when the Roman Catholics were in control. Now that the government has taken over, the school is in terrible conditions.

“The ceilings are falling in and we are trying to build it up and build the best high school library,” Christa said. “There are still students going there every single day regardless of the conditions.”

The confidence in her voice was enough to convince anyone in the room under the sound of her voice how serious and passionate she is about helping unfortunate young people.

Christa is a Chicago native and former DeLaSalle High School. Prior to starting Charity is Love, she had her heart set on becoming a nurse practitioner. Over time, Christa had a change of heart and decided to start the organization her sophomore year. Being heavily involved in school and church she made the decision to drop out and become home schooled for the remainder of her high school career.

“If I’m doing my own organization, I won’t be able to really focus on it and it wouldn’t really prosper if I was still in school,” Christa said.

After making this huge decision, she asked her mother, Love McPherson, who consented and allowed her to take an online satellite class. McPherson described her reaction to Christa’s decision from nursing to becoming home schooled and an entrepreneur. During a family meeting, she asked Christa if she was still enthused about the profession of nursing.

“Tears rose in her eyes and she said ‘actually mom if I could just do anything I would build orphanages in Third World countries’,” McPherson said with a smile on her face. “She thought I was going to be disappointed but actually I was overjoyed….because I knew what God had spoken to my heart when she was just a baby…it came to pass.”

Christa enrolled in online satellite classes and within eight months she completed her GED early. Christa is receiving a lot of support from her family, from the title to the staff. Her older and only sibling, Tiffany, is also partnering with her in assisting running the organization.

Dr. Christian Akiwowo is the founder and CEO of Alájobí Rehabilitative Services, which provides therapeutic and residential services for abused and neglected children in state custody. Akiwowo is an alumni of the high school Charity of Love is helping. “I was introduced to Charity of Love through the parents and it is a great organization,” Akiwowo said.

He started a committee connected to his former high school to find ways to build it back up. She is also receiving support from Chicago high school such as Hales Franciscan. Every Wednesday, they have an hour meeting discussing ways to raise money and books for their current cause. Their latest fundraiser idea is to have an All-Star basketball game with the top basketball high school players in Chicago. The admission would be to bring two books minimum to attend.

Charity is Love currently has a Facebook page and over 300 hundred supporters. This page informs the viewer as to how they can donate books, there are pictures of the school, its students, and what’s next on this upcoming organization’s agenda.

Christa has put aside average teenage activities to pursue her dreams at an early age. “No prom no graduation no anything…I feel like I didn’t need that because I was doing what I loved to do and that was helping different people,” Christa said with a light giggle.

Miming for Christ

By Sachelle Walker-Jones

Quietly, Otis Taylor waits in the back of the church, thoughts deep in prayer. He is dressed in all black, face painted white with white gloves on. The pastor speaks his name. Taylor walks to the front of the church, drops his head. The congregation patiently waits as he prepares for ministry.

Suddenly, the music starts, a woman wails from the speakers, “I need thee, Lord.”

Taylor spins around, stretches his arms out, and dances freely. He mixes pantomiming with lyrical dance, using his hands to carefully emphasize each word of the song. His face is animated but serious.

Seemingly, the dance summons the heavens. One by one, the people stand with arms lifted to revere God.

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Christen Walker-Simmons watches in amazement.

“It’s the way he moves, the expressions on his face. I love to watch him,” she said.

The congregation claps, in praise of their Lord and his performance. Taylor collapses in tears at the end.

This is his passion, to serve the Lord through dance.

Taylor never would have imagined his life would turn out this way. Every weekend he mime dances to gospel music at different churches. While others his age are out partying in the clubs, he is preparing for his next assignment. Rockford, Milwaukee, Chicago, Taylor’s unique style of dance, called “praise dancing” keeps him in high demand.

“I wasn’t a big fan of dance besides hip hop dancing,” Taylor said. “But, I used to love watching the ladies praise dance at church.”

It was those days spent at West Side Church of God in Christ in Rockford, Ill., that Taylor says he found his purpose. After seeing a group called K&K Mime, mix the old art of miming with lyrical dance to Christian music, Taylor was inspired.

“Me and my god-sister wanted to try that dancing for our youth day at church. Our first song was “Stand” by Donnie Mcclurkin. Ever since that first song, I knew my calling was to minister through mime,” Taylor said.

That was when he as 14-years-old. Six years later Taylor is still ministering through mime

“I just thank God, because I could have been doing something else,” he said. “I would have been hanging around the wrong people.”

Taylor recalls a life headed in the wrong direction. He said he was promiscuous, a past that he says others continue to try and bring up.

“People are watching me,” Taylor said. “We all have critics who don’t want us to succeed.”

Taylor doesn’t let the naysayers keep him from dancing. He describes himself as shy but when he steps out in front of the church a boldness shines through his dancing.

“When I put my makeup on, (the signature white paint mimes use to cover their face) it’s like a shield. I’m determined to get my message through from God,” Taylor said.

No one can say they’ve watched the transformation of Taylor more closely than Darcy Youngblood. She is Taylor’s mom and also his manager. She says she had some reservations when Taylor approached her about his mime dancing at church. Traditionally, secular type dancing was shunned in the black church but now it is widely accepted.

“I really didn’t know if people would accept it at first,” Youngblood said. “I didn’t know if they’d think it was some ritual, voodoo stuff.”

Those reservation soon changed when Youngblood saw how well received Taylor was by the church. Ever since then she has been traveling as much as possible to support her son, as well as scheduling all his dance assignments.

“I have to make sure on the business side that he is taken care of,” Youngblood said. “ On the spiritual side I pray over him.”

Taylor says he appreciates the love and support his mother brings they admit they are best friends. Youngblood realizes that sometimes the lines between mom and manager are blurred but ultimately she follows the lead of her son,

“Otis is very prayerful and when the Lord gives him a vision to do something it doesn’t matter who you are, he’s a firm believer and he stands on it.,” she said.

Otis is just happy to have found his calling.

“I just sit back and realize how much God has blessed me, and I just can’t believe it,” Taylor said.

Petland Wheaton

Petland Wheaton

                                
Video and story by Noel Tijerina                                    
Stephanie Ptak rescues dogs and cats from shelters and started Aloha Rescue out of her home two years ago.

After Ptak met the owners Wheaton Petland and  Bolingbrook Petland, she was able to send animals to both locations on a small scale when there was nowhere else to send them.

“This is an amazing thing Petland is doing. They are just saving hundreds of lives,” Ptak said.

In March alone, Petland Wheaton adopted over 228 animals through Aloha Rescue. This is the only Petland location that is working 100 percent with Aloha Rescue. All of the Wheaton locations cats and dogs are rescue. This collaboration is something that nobody involved wants to end anytime soon.

“They always got a good response; they always went into homes very quickly, and so we always tried to have some space for them,” said Derek Capps, the general manager of Petland Wheaton, who started working with Aloha rescue in May 2009.

By the middle of March 2010 Petland Wheaton changed over to completely rescue. Capps said that the change is what sparked the decision to have a big “adopt-a-month” in April. They set their goal find 100 animals a home. They have adopted more than 43 animals towards their goal half way through the month.
 
Capps and Ptak explained that the goal of this is to find these animals a good permanent home. So many of these animals were coming from fosters and shelters that didn’t have space for them anymore.

“We keep a lot here that otherwise would have been dead,” said Capps. “They would have been bounced around.”
   
When it comes to adopting these animals, Petland ensures that people understand the process.
   
Petland gives each animal a free vet visit and a 14-day viral warranty. These expenses are paid for 100 percent by Petland Wheaton’s collaboration with Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital.

In addition, the animal is spayed or neutered, which is a law for rescue animals to help stop the overpopulation problem. New pets are also micro-chipped. The microchip ensures a pet has a better chance of getting home if the dog is lost or stolen. Those adopting pay a starting fee to activate the microchip, but that fee is a onetime charge and a lifetime subscription.

When adopting out these animals they make sure they find the right family for each pet because the animals aren’t able to say if they are hungry or have to go to the bathroom. Capps explains that they want to find the best possible home for a pet.

“When you fall in love, we’ll explain the whole process to you because we don’t just give you a rescue dog and a pat on the back and some well wishes,” Capps said.
   

Leo's Coney Island's Grand Opening Chicago Style

Leo's Coney Island Grand Opening in Chicago -- By Richard Perry Thomas

By Richard Perry Thomas

Leo’s Coney Island, well known in Detroit as a traditional Greek restaurant that serves Coney Hot Dogs, opened its first location in Chicago this past winter.

Chicago Style hot dogs, which are covered with sliced tomatoes, relish, pickles, onions and celery salt but Coney hot dogs
are covered with beanless chili, chopped raw yellow onions and mustard.

On the grand opening day, the restaurant served an unanticipated number of customers before 5 p.m., said Martin Goldhaber, father to Leo’s Co-owner Lou Goldhaber.

Goldhaber traveled to Chicago to support the restaurants grand opening. More so, he supported his son by putting on an apron and busing tables.

“He’s making the old man work as hard as he can,” Goldhaber said. “When I was a kid I used to bus tables. I wanted to see if I could get my old skills back.”

Goldhaber personifies the family tradition that has been apart of the restaurant’s history.

The founder of the restaurant, Leo Stassinopoulos at the age of 17 immigrated to the United States from Greece. At first he worked at a meat factory. Then, worked at a local Coney Island restaurant where he learned the restaurant business. And in 1972, Stassinopoulos and his brother, Peter opened up the first location in Southfield, Mich., according to the company’s website.

The family recipe for success was their famous Greek Salad dressing, which can be found in specialty markets and local grocery stores in Michigan.

 Now it also can be found in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood on the corner of Cornelia and Southport Avenues.

To some people in Chicago the business is new and to many people from Michigan its been anticipated.

Customers traveling from the South Side were convinced that the restaurants hot dog was good, but not better than the Chicago's hot dog.

“The Chicago dog is the better dog. [Leo’s] has good chili.” said Wayne Wardlow, a Chicago native.

The restaurant may stoke the competition between Cubs and Tigers fans this baseball season.

Paw Naturals

 

Paw Naturals

By Kim Manning

Accented by lofted ceilings and modern construction, a new store in the West Loop glows with the natural light shining through the window. It's tiny, but the brown and orange walls make it welcoming and warm. Any one is welcome and their dogs are too.

In recent years, Whole Foods Market and other organic and natural food stores are popping up everywhere and replacing the old go-to grocer. The prices are slightly higher but is raised with the quality ingredients used.

As organic and raw foods have become high demand products in recent years, they are currently becoming just as popular in the form of pet food. Paw Naturals is the first to enter the highly populated, newly gentrified West Loop.

Jami Ippolito, owner and only employee, knew the neighborhood would give a great response and needed something like her store. She says she has gotten “really good comments, and just a lot of well wishes… it’s starting to translate into dollars but its more costumer comments than dollars.”

In Chicago’s West Loop, dogs seem to be a necessity. They treated by some as a member of the family.

In February, Paw Naturals opened its doors on the corner of Monroe and Sagamon Avenues and connected to the 950 W. Monroe Ave. condo complex after being an online store since 2007. The raw, natural and sometimes organic pet food sold in Paw Naturals is no different than the “human” food sold at places like Whole Foods.

Raw and natural pet food is just that. There are no additives, no preservatives and no grain added. The food sold in stores like Paw Naturals is meant to resemble what animals would eat in nature and contain the least amount of ingredients to remain raw and natural.

After the pet food recall in 2007, Ippolito wanted a better option for her own pets. Through researching , she found that there was no Web site that offered different kinds of natural and raw pet food. She decided to take on the venture herself. After her online success, she gained partners to help open up the store.

The food is important for the well-being of pets, but Ippolito says the location is just as important for her business. On July 2^nd, Jami is planning to have her official grand opening, which is the same day a dog park is set to open up directly kiddy-corner from her store. “We waited a while for this place,” she said.

Paw Naturals has everything needed for pet care. There is food, shampoo, beds, toys, treats, medicines and even bakery-like doggy treats.
 

Cathy and Joe Milianta are regulars at the store. “I buy my cat food and toys there and am so happy that a place like this opened up in our building,” Cathy said.

Currently, the hours are limited because it is a one-woman-show and Ippolito is doing it all. She hopes that once summer comes and the park opens, her hours will be extended and she will hire on some more people.

“The neighborhood needs a place like this,” Cathy said, "It’s important that animals get fed nutritious things just as much as it is for humans.”