vickroy
Donna Vickroy biography
Donna Vickroy was born on Chicago’s South Side and spent most of her formative years in the south suburbs, sharing a small bungalow with …
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Vickroy: 10-year-old a profile of courage, hope
Adam Sanchez is a builder. Houses, bridges, whole cities. Lately, though, the 10-year-old fan of Legos and the game Minecraft has become an architect of resilience. The son of a Chicago police officer, Adam was diagnosed with brain cancer the day before Thanksgiving. He has …Read More
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Vickroy: Guiding knight: Lab gets woman where she needs to go
Up concrete stairs, around giant flowerpots and through throngs of bustling commuters, Kathy Austin makes her way to work each morning. Though she is virtually blind, only able to distinguish contrasts of light and dark, she makes getting from her home in the leafy suburb …Read More
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Vickroy: Gardens are proof that life goes on
“God gave us memories that we may have roses in December.” J. M. Barrie Since the beginning of time, man has sought comfort in tilling the earth. Gardens provide sustenance, joy and, increasingly, solace in times of grief. Flowers, trees and other plants are reminders …Read More
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Vickroy: Modern-day explorers to kids: Get out in wilderness
Khareah Horton stepped into the giant oversized parka and all but disappeared. The first-grader took one for the team when she volunteered to lead the “sled dogs” across the gymnasium at Wagoner School in Sauk Village. Not only was she barely visible beneath her fur-lined …
Vickroy: Mother’s reading habit led to son’s penchant for writing
Mothers impart a lot of things to their children: wisdom, advice, recipes. But sometimes the most endearing gift a mother leaves her son or daughter is a lifelong passion, something that sparks their interest, taps their creativity and engages them in the workings of the …
Vickroy: Pennies from an angel to help special-needs dancers
At face value, the penny is worth next to nothing. But for those who believe in the power of serendipity, the penny can be priceless. As her sister, Linda, lay dying in 2000, Cathy Epstein-Faxel and her mother wondered how they might honor the 29-year-old’s …
Vickroy: It’s no fib: You can grow figs in this climate
Long before humans cultivated wheat, barley or legumes, they grew fig trees. Some even suggest that figs were grown a thousand years before wheat and rye were domesticated. “For 98 percent of the time humans have been alive, it has been a starvation existence,” said …
Vickroy: Remembering Kaylah with music, poetry and new safety measures
A year ago this weekend, Kaylah Lentine was celebrating her 14th birthday at a sleepover party with friends. They sang, laughed and made a video parody of “The Hunger Games.” In a bittersweet nod to life’s unpredictability, those same friends, along with members of Kaylah’s …
Vickroy: Get closer view of eagles’ new offspring
It’s not exactly a bird’s-eye view, but the public can now get even closer to a rare eagles’ nest in Palos Township. Cook County Forest Preserve officials have cleared a path north along the eastern banks of Tampier Slough, enabling bird watchers to get within …
Vickroy: Tireless teen earns Governor’s Volunteer Award
They’re small, soft and oh, so cute. Yet, these tiny pillows are strong enough to comfort the afflicted, cheer the saddened and remind even the most downtrodden that somebody cares. “You can see it in the smiles people give,” says Sarah Dynia. “You can definitely …
Vickroy: Students take live surgery experience to heart
Alex Engraffia knows there’s only so much you can do in a classroom. Sometimes, to really learn something, you have to go out into the field. And sometimes that field is a hospital operating room. The Evergreen Park High School senior joined more than 100 …
Vickroy: Former Palos Hills man was courageous first responder
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve Before he became a first responder, Kevin Sanders was an altar boy, a baby sitter and an animal lover. “He was a joy to …
Vickroy: Teacher shares heartbreaking story to keep prom-goers safe
It is a human flaw that until we are touched by tragedy, we consider ourselves immune to it. Like so many, Cora Umeker grew up believing teenagers are invincible. That is, until her senior year of high school. The reality that kids are not wrapped …
Vickroy: Giving gang members a future in Bedford Park
Quantrell “Q” Haywood has his sights set on a white 1966 Impala. The two-door muscle car is the carrot that gets the former Chicago gangbanger into a uniform and onto the bus each morning. It’s a daily reminder to show up, work hard and abide …
Vickroy: Korn guitarist to talk about overcoming drugs
By his admission, Brian “Head” Welch has been through the ringer. “Crazy drug addiction and depression, it was nuts,” said the co-founder and lead guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. Welch, who grew up in Bakersfield, Calif., tried several times to stop, but it …
Vickroy: Wannabe bakers get much-kneaded experience
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” — Robert Browning. Have most kids under the age of 12 heard of poet Robert Browning? Probably not. But there’s no denying the appeal of fresh-baked bread transcends the …
Vickroy: Chance ‘encounter’ leads to lifetime of preaching tolerance
Dennis Gaeta was just 12 when his life’s mission came into focus. The son of an Italian Catholic father and a Jewish mother, the Tinley Park optometrist was often told he could follow whichever religion he wanted. His ambivalence dissolved the day he “met” Anne …
Vickroy: Longtime hotel employee leaves the way she came in: with a smile
In the early 1970s, when the south suburbs were marked with wide-open spaces and Interstate 294 was young, a newly divorced mother of five walked over to the Crouching Lion hotel in Alsip and applied for a job. “I didn’t have a car at the …
Vickroy: Help the helpers stop child sexual abuse
Here are some alarming numbers: 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused during childhood. The average age of the victims: 9. “This is a social epidemic and a real tragedy,” said Heather Randazzo, program coordinator for the Childhood Trauma Treatment …
Vickroy: Training for day that hopefully never comes
First came the gunfire. Pop. Pop. Pop. Next, screams and the crackle of radios. “We have new intel. The shooter is on the second floor, at the west end of the building.” Then officers with guns drawn moved in three-man teams down the locker-lined corridors. …
