The heat of a fire at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Sep. 5, 2018, was so intense that it compromised the material in the building's cinder blocks.

Almost three years ago, Michele Zurakowski, the executive director of the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry, realized that people with disabilities in the 13 ZIP codes served by her nonprofit often cannot get to First United Church on Lake Street to pick up the groceries they need.

Marilyn Jancewicz is the 2018 recipient of Dominican University's O'Keefe Outstanding Volunteer Achievement Award.

Prexy Nesbitt, 74, never did finish his PhD work on African History, in large part because he was too busy making the history.