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Neighborhood Notes

photo by Teresa J. Potasiak Vesting Chicago police dog K-9 Cliff While Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka was collecting items for pets abandoned during hurricane Katrina, Chicago Police Officer Sandra LaPorta of the Canine Unit took the opportunity to explain that a local non profit organization, “Illinois Vest-a-Dog,” was also in need — of protective bullet- and stab-resistant vests for the Chicago Police Department’s 55 Canine Unit dogs. Illinois Vest-a-Dog is an organization dedicated to protecting the lives of K-9 police dogs through the purchase and donation of these vests. The organization's Executive Director, Lee Harrison, told Topinka about a dog named K-9 Cliff who was in need of protective gear. K-9 Cliff and his handler, Chicago Police Officer Mark Borski, had recently apprehended a suspect thanks to Cliff’s ability to latch onto the offender’s arm — when the offender was trying to flee in the police vehicle. Pictured are Officer Borski, dog Cliff, Police Superintendent Phil Kline, and Topinka, who purchased the vest for Cliff. All 55 Chicago Police dogs have now received their vests. Other K-9 Police dogs in Illinois can be protected through Illinois Vest-a-Dog; visit www.ivestadog.org.

Lake View * Lincoln Square * Ravenswood * Uptown Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade The Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade will leave the Dan Ryan Woods at 83rd St. and Western Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, and travel northbound on Western Ave. to Marine Center at Foster Ave. and Troy St. Thousands of motorcycles will participate in the five-hour parade. A Toys For Tots donation box is located at Ald. Gene Schulter’s (47th) office at 4237 N. Lincoln Ave. For more information, check the Chicagoland Toys For Tots link at ward47.com or call (773) 348-8400. Chicago Lincoln “A Historian’s View of the Chicago Lincoln Statue in Lincoln Square” will be offered by Patrick Mallory at Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave., at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1. The free program, sponsored by the Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association, will also feature a documentary film of the dedication ceremony for the statue held in October 1956. “Stars” of the vintage film include Chicago Lincoln sculptor Avard Fairbanks; Ald. John J. Hoellen (47th), who suggested placing the statue; Leo A. Lerner, newspaper publisher and chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Commission; Gov. William G. Stratton; and Dean Adinamis, the president of the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce. Mallory, a doctoral candidate at Loyola University, will relate the Chicago Lincoln to other Lincoln memorials built prior to 1956, and review its significance in Chicago and national history. Free smoke alarms Smoke alarms are now available through the Fire Department for free. Call (312) 744-3985 for more information.

photo by Steve Donisch Brighter days ahead Women's American ORT "Light Up the Future" drew more than 200 guests to the Museum of Contemporary Art in October for cocktails and dinner, a private exhibit tour, musical entertainment and a silent auction featuring table lamps designed and donated by 16 local artists. The gala raised more than $600,000 for education and training worldwide as well as ORT's new "Students at Risk" program to help needy Israeli students stay in school. Streeterville residents Nora and Don Rado (right) admired the lamp titled "Love, Chicago" with the artist, city dweller Nancy Domash.

Gold Coast * Lincoln Park * Loop * Near North From diversity…One voice Just as diverse backgrounds unite into one voice, music from diverse composers and times will blend for one performance, with the University of Illinois at Chicago choirs, and Michael J. Anderson, conductor, and Ivana Bukvich, accompanist. The concert is at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, in Notre Dame Church of Chicago, 1336 W. Flournoy St. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. For more information, call the office of the UIC Choirs at (312) 355-2434 or visit www.uic.edu/depts/adpa. NNHSC hosts World AIDS Days Near North Health Service Corporation (NNHSC) is extending World AIDS Day to cover three consecutive days at three of its community health centers. From Wednesday, Nov. 30, through Friday, Dec. 2, community residents are invited to visit any site to learn how HIV is affecting our communities. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, visit Louise Landau Health Center, 3645 W. Chicago Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Thursday, Dec. 1, visit Komed-Holman Health Center, 4259 S. Berkley Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or, on Friday, Dec. 2, visit Winfield –Moody Health Center, 1276 N. Clybourn Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free awareness activities will include anonymous, confidential HIV testing, learning how HIV is transmitted and dispelling myths, cooking demonstrations for healthy eating (with samples for tasting), interactive discussion groups, and educational materials. For more information, call the NNHSC External Affairs office at (312) 337-1073. Improv benefit at Black Orchid A special improv comedy show performed by the Second City actors will take place Thursday, Dec. 1; cocktails begin at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. The admission price of $45 includes the show and one drink. The benefit will support the children, teens, families, elderly and homeless Chicagoans whose needs are cared for by Marillac House each day. Second City’s Black Orchid Theatre is located at 230 W. North Ave. For tickets or details, contact Brian Shields at (773) 722-7440, ext. 135. Art glass domes at CCC At 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, Preservation Snapshots will host speaker Neal Vogel, of Restoric, LLC in Evanston. Vogel will present the history, design and proposed restoration approach for the art glass domes of the Grand Army of the Republic Hall and Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center, which are respectively attributed to Healy & Millet (Chicago) and Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co. (New York). The presentation will also cover the current and proposed artificial lighting of the domes, along with the potential reintroduction of natural daylight. The event takes place at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 W. Randolph St., Claudia Cassidy Theatre, second floor. Admission is free. Please note: No food or beverages are permitted in the Claudia Cassidy Theater. For information, visit landmarks.org. 21st Century Medicine A new exhibit, Milestones in Medical Imaging: 21st Century Medicine, will open at the International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 N. Lake Shore Dr., on Sunday, Nov. 27. It expands upon a major exhibit on the history and pioneers of radiology, which opened in 2004. To celebrate, the Museum will be hosting an Open House from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Tour the new exhibit as well as the four floors of the Museum exhibitions on Nursing, Cardiovascular Surgery, Spinal Surgery, Optical History, Pharmacy and more. For more information or to make a reservation, please call (312) 642-6502, ext. 3130. Focus on Domestic Violence At Near North Health Service Corporation (NNHSC), the Women to Women Support Group focuses on the realities and myths of domestic violence. With a safe environment to discuss concerns in a confidential setting, participants meet with state-licensed social workers to discuss options available to end the abuse; they become educated on rights of victims, and are referred to proper medical treatment programs. The NNHSC Women to Women Support Group is hosted from 2 to 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the NNHSC Winfield Moody Health Center, 1276 N. Clybourn Ave. This service is free and open to anyone in need of assistance and support. Participants are assessed for safety and encouraged to develop an individualized safety plan. They are provided with contact numbers for emergency shelter and counseled on abusive relationships. For more information, contact the NNHSC External Affairs Office at (312) 237-1073.