Good News Sunday: At age 96, Glen Ellyn artist recognized for her work

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

At age 96, Mary Marchese of Glen Ellyn is getting some public recognition for her artwork.

The Glen Ellyn Public Library is featuring 50 of her oil paintings on its Gallery Wall. The paintings feature portraits of four generations of her family, “the people I love,” Marchese says.

She took an interest in art in 1934 when she was in the fourth grade at St. Petronille School in Glen Ellyn. During her three years at Glenbard Township High School (which became Glenbard West), she earned art awards and was named the official artist for the Girl Reserves service club.

Her parents insisted she attend Immaculate Conception for her senior year, where she continued as an artist, drawing the “Isn't It The Truth” comic strip for the school newspaper.

Marchese, the wife of Andy Marchese, the 98-year-old legendary band director retired from Benet Academy in Lisle, has painted portraits of most of her 39 grandchildren and has requests to do paintings of all her 41 great-grandchildren.

In addition to portraits, Marchese has done a series of paintings of houses in four seasons for her kids and friends.

“I painted so many I can't remember them all,” she says. She's given away almost all of the 200 or so paintings she has done to relatives and friends.

She's never made a dime with work, instead, doing them “just for the fun of it.”

For the full story, click here.

Elk Grove Village mom helps American Girl create Eid outfit for dolls

When Yasmina Blackburn's 8-year-old daughter Aliya came home in tears after a holiday celebration at school, it broke her heart.

Aliya and her classmates made artwork and sang traditional songs for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. She couldn't understand why there was no recognition of Eid, the Islamic holiday her family observes.

It prompted the Elk Grove Village mom to write a letter to the American Girl doll company seeking Muslim representation in its product line so girls like Aliya could see themselves reflected as part of American culture.

And now, American Girl, owned by Mattel Inc., has launched an Eid al-Fitr doll outfit that Blackburn helped design as part of its new cultural celebration collection. Blackburn also edited the short story accompanying the outfit for cultural accuracy.

“It's important for kids to feel that their holidays are recognized at school and in the public sphere, as well as on toy shelves,” said Blackburn, 53, a longtime civil rights activist who comes from a mixed Catholic-Muslim parentage.

For the full story, click here.

Four brain surgeries won't keep runner from Boston Marathon

Nicole Wojnarowski of Elgin applied for - and was accepted into - the 125th Boston Marathon as a runner for a specific charity. She'll be running to advance her personal goals, but also to raise money for IMPACT Melanoma.

It's been a health marathon as well for the 46-year-old Wojnarowski, who has undergone four brain surgeries since she was diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst at the age of 22 while attending Northern Illinois University.

The headaches she copes with every day haven't gone away, likely from scar tissue damaging some nerve endings after so many incisions in the same spot on her scalp, she said.

Wojnarowski came to find out she could run significant distances, even with the headache pain.

“I started running because I wanted an outlet to get some exercise and challenge myself, because I hated running when I was in high school,” said Wojnarowski, a 1993 St. Charles High School graduate.

“I decided to try it, and after I ran a half marathon, I thought I could do a full marathon.”

Having run several other marathons, she counts her acceptance into the prestigious Boston event as an honor.

“When I was chosen through the charity application process, I was so excited I just cried,” Wojnarowski said. “It's a dream come true, for sure.”

For the full story, click here.

Alzheimer's walk in Libertyville brings out participants in purple

Independence Grove in Libertyville looked a little more colorful Saturday during the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's.

The walk aims to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research.

On walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer's disease with the poignant Promise Garden ceremony. The colors of the Promise Garden flower-shaped pinwheels represent people's connection to Alzheimer's - their personal reasons to end the disease.

In addition to carrying the colorful flowers as they walked, many of the participants wore purple, the official color of the Alzheimer's movement.

For details on the Walk to End Alzheimer's, visit alz.org.

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