Thank you for your coverage of Embrace, the communications outreach campaign inviting the community to point out people, places and institutions that contribute to local vibrancy.

In honor of Celebrating Seniors Week, several residents of The Oaks, a residence, a rehabbed building at 114 S. Humphrey that serves the elderly and people with disabilities, submitted testimonials about living there.

If you are on Medicare, chances are good that you will soon be receiving a very official-looking piece of mail that could be mistaken for an announcement from the Social Security Administration. The heading says "NEW 2013 Social Security Changes and Benefits." At the bottom, it does say, in very small print, "Personal Business Matter."

I want to invite you to participate in my telephone town hall next Tuesday, May 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Because May is a busy month in Springfield and there are many big issues pending in the General Assembly, I want to use the live call to answer questions and get feedback from you.

During his senior year at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Dan Ganschow decided to leave the football team. After suffering an injury and ultimately losing playing time at running back to Mike Brown (the brother of current OPRF football star Jamal Baggett), Ganschow recalls "putting on my sunglasses with tears in my eyes" regarding his hasty decision.

With defending state champion Hinsdale Central in the way, the Oak Park and River Forest High School and Lyons Township High School boys tennis teams both knew winning the West Suburban (Silver) Conference boys tournament championship was a virtual impossibility.

Sectional host Fenwick knocked defending state champion Lyons Township out of the playoffs with an 11-8 win Saturday. Matt Farmer (six goals) and Danny Farmer (two goals) paced the Friars.

Local restaurateur Charlie Robinson learned his 200-year-old barbecue recipe from his grandfather while growing up in the Mississippi Delta. It's been passed down in his family for, he estimates, 14 generations.

Not too long ago, the SOHO condominium and townhouse development in Oak Park seemed to represent all that was wrong with the local real estate market. The ambitious project was the brainchild of local architect John Schiess and developer Alex Troyanovsky, who originally purposed an all-townhome development at the corner of South Boulevard and Home Avenue (South-Home, hence SOHO).

The Park District of Oak Park was recently notified by the Office of Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that Oak Park will receive a $400,000 matching grant from the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grant (OSLAD) program.