Oh what a night! Community celebrates 5 years of STROLL Park Ridge
and....STROLL Park Ridge Best of Park Ridge Reader's Choice Awards Night!
Thank you Park Ridge for celebrating STROLL Park Ridge's 5th anniversary on June 22nd! Through the years, so many friendships have been formed, so much fun, and so much community building. We are better together and we are so happy and honored to continue to bring all of us together (including our Precious Pets) through the community magazine and its many events throughout the year including our monthly community coffees, Super Suppers for families, Girls Night Outs, Fundraisers/Events for charity including fashion shows for WINGS, Ice Cream Socials for the local Boy Scouts, Snowball Socials for MYCAF, Comedy Nights for First Responders and Park Ridge Community Fund, Back to School Bashs for Friends of the Parks, and Santa on a Firetruck and Firetrucks on Parade (Summer 2022) for the Park Ridge Historical Society! Over the past 5 years, the mission of STROLL Park Ridge has been to spread positivity and promote the good throughout the Park Ridge community while supporting our local charities and businesses. Much has been accomplished and more than $250,000 raised for local charities. Here's to many more happy years to come! Thank you Park Ridge for allowing us to serve as your premiere community magazine!
Congratulations to all the recipients of the STROLL Park Ridge Best of Park Ridge Readers Choice Awards 2023!! We are Park Ridge Proud of you! It was a very special night and we have so many to thank including entertainment by the amazing Trinity Irish Dance Company, Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Park Ridge's own beautiful singer Collette Hawley, comedians Scott Castellanos and Trish Maloney, and our host venue Harp & Fiddle. Special thanks to our sponsors: Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, BeLocal Magazine, Athans & Associates, Blue Coral Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, and Amada Senior Care.
Toasts were given throughout the evening to acknowledge the significant contributions of STROLL Park Ridge to our community and to mark STROLL's 5 year milestone. Many thanks to Mario DiLorenzo, Keller Willaims ONEChicago, Park Ridge City Clerk Sal Raspanti, resident and former city councilman Paul Hansen, magazine sponsor Ed Zamora, WINGS Program Executive Director Rebecca Darr and Kiwanis Club President Kris Cichowski. City councilman Joe Steinfels was in attendance but unfortunately, had to leave (Daddy carpool) before he gave his remarks. Here they are:
Ladies and gentlemen, Dolly, Mayor, Council Members… I’m honored to be here to help celebrate Stroll Park Ridge’s 5th anniversary! Dolly, thank you very much for having me here for this momentous event. I want to start with just a statement of how lucky we are to have Stroll Park Ridge as part of our community. Dolly McCarthy, neighbor…friend…and publisher has created a wonderful community-focused entity. And for that we are thankful. Over the past five years, Stroll Park Ridge has supported local businesses, planned countless social events for kids and adults alike, and raised over $250,000 for local charities. It’s hard enough for any endeavor to become successful, but to do that in the midst of COVID and the uncertainties of the past several years… Let’s recognize Dolly and Stroll for those accomplishments. As you know, Stroll Park Ridge—formerly Park Ridge Living—isn’t just a magazine. It’s a billboard for all things Park Ridge. A story of our community. Dolly brought it all together. Today, it is easy to focus on individualism and the things that make us unique and different. And that’s awesome. But I think we need to balance that with a renewed focus on togetherness, on our community—our neighbors, our friends, and the people with whom we live side by side as we go about our everyday lives. One community. Park Ridge. And Stroll does exactly that. Thank you, Dolly. We are lucky to have you. Happy 5-year anniversary! Joe Steinfels ~ 5th Ward Alderman Park Ridge