Below we present Anthony Moaton’s essay that details, sometimes humorously, the five lessons he has learned about how to move forward in life.

Taking That Next Step

As a senior, you face one of the most important decisions of your life. It’s not figuring out how many senior ditch days you’re going to take or when you’re going to start using “Senioritis” as an excuse for not doing your work, unless you’ve been doing that since freshman year. No, the most important decision is figuring out the next step of your life.

The next step: a phrase that has been used so much by many of the adults in your life at some point in time, whether it’s a geometry teacher making you figure out a proof, or your counselor telling you to get your act together.

So in a few short months, my graduating class will become active members of our society. Some of us have gotten into dream colleges, some of us are awaiting college news, and some of us just learned that colleges have application deadlines.

Even if you’re not going to college, you still need to decide what the next step in your life will be. And that’s an exhilarating yet horrifying idea at the same time. You’re taking control of your life and you want to do something important with it. But there is always that pervading fear something will go wrong, that in your attempt to take the next step, you’ll slip and fall, worried you won’t be able to get back up. And while that’s a great tie-in to Life Alert, in all seriousness, sometimes you become afraid of what your future will look like, and maybe that fear will hinder you from taking the next step, from moving forward. But ultimately you have to move forward because life goes on.

To me, moving forward means that no matter what type of life you may have led, you strive to better yourself, and through that self-improvement, things around you improve. Martin Luther King Jr. understood the concept better than most, consistently demanding that his fellow Americans start making changes. Part of his philosophy of nonviolence revolved around the idea of people becoming knowledgeable about the issues around them, and looking inwardly at themselves, and preparing for what may happen.

That leads to today’s sort-of “How-to” guide: “How to move forward with your life and take the next step.” It may seem hard. Maybe you’ve been weighed down by whatever events took a toll on you before. Or maybe you consider yourself lucky that not too many bad things have happened to you and life seems easy, but you’re scared of what the future has in store. What if life doesn’t go the way you want it to? So here we go, a quick little guide:

1) Figure out where you’ve been.

Many people know the old saying, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I take that to heart. I’ve had to go through many trials and tribulations to this day in order to get to where I am today. I’ve had to deal with poverty, family illnesses, and hardest of all, the loss of my mother this year. That is something I am still struggling to deal with, and it is something I hope none of you have to deal with. There seemed to be so many negatives in my life, constantly pushing me down. And sometimes I felt that my life would not improve. The thing is, I couldn’t give up because no one knows what the future has in store. People tend to respond to events like that in different ways. I guess my way of grieving has been throwing myself into everything I do, and pursuing the many interests I have. I’ve learned a lot in the short time I’ve been on Earth, and I know we all have learned a lot, and what that means is I’m not going to make the same mistakes that people around me have made. I’m not going to let go of great opportunities because I’m afraid of what might happen. Always remember that you can make a difference.

2) Think about where you want to go

This is extremely important. What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to become the next famous superstar? Do you want to be a firefighter? Do you see yourself just raising a family? No matter what you want to do, you have the chance to aspire to and achieve something great, so it is important that you have some sort of plan. It doesn’t have to be set in stone. According to collegeparents.org, 80% of college students change their major at least once, whether by choice or not. I’ve thought at some point that I was going to be a music therapist, and then an English teacher, and then a masseur. It is good to have something to attempt when we’re near or at the peak of our potential and can do so much in our lives. I don’t know anyone whose goal in life is to be a masseur, but if that’s you, go ahead; do something that makes you happy. Aspire to something. I finally decided (for now) that I want to go into environmental studies, to try to make a change in how people are living and are currently interacting with this planet. And yes, maybe come next year, I’ll be working in a tattoo parlor, but I wanted to dream about doing something because it led me to try my hardest.

3) Think about what’s stopping you

Life is not perfect. This can be seen through the Civil Rights Movement, and how Martin Luther King Jr. and many other civil rights activists attempted to make our nation a more accepting and diverse place. They encountered violent prejudice and corruption from people who wanted to stop them from achieving their goals — not just average working class people, but also people in positions of power. Now the U.S. Government probably isn’t the reason you can’t be a chef, but there may be pressing reasons why you can’t achieve your goal. When there is a roadblock, we tend to shut down and give up and either decide to find the safer route or not do anything. For me, my fear was all about one word: money. I knew that in order to obtain higher education and hopefully make a change in my life as well as in the lives of others, I needed money. The college I will be going to costs over $59,000 a year. So I was afraid that maybe it wouldn’t work out in my favor, but though I was conscious of my roadblocks, I was not going to let it stop me and shut me down. That’s the ultimate mistake.

4) Think about how you’re going to get there

You know what you want to do and you know the things that are in your way. So now what do you do? Well, you have to figure out ways to achieve what you want. Martin Luther King Jr. did not create his philosophy of nonviolence and how to achieve his goals of harmony among all human beings just so people could sit and think about it and continue with their lives. Now is the time to take action. I hunted down many scholarships and programs in order to try to achieve my goals of going to a good college and majoring in something that could help me help others. If I just sat there and hoped things would improve, or if I decided it wasn’t worth the effort, I would probably be unhappy. So this goes to the freshmen, sophomores and juniors out there: start thinking about what you’re going to do and how you’re going to get it. It’s not too early. You made your plan for your life, now start finding out how to obtain it. The thing is, you have so many resources to do just that. I don’t think I would be anywhere good without the help of my counselor and many of the teachers I begged to write college letters. Take advantage of all of your resources.

5) Try your hardest to achieve

Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists fought to their deaths to ensure that everyone would be considered equal. I’m not saying you need to kill yourself in order to become the best stay-at-home dad, but you can’t follow your dreams halfheartedly. In order to even qualify for scholarships, I had to work hard and show that I try to be a top student as well as contribute to society. For me, that meant taking many AP and honors level courses, and being a part of many extra-curricular activities that required me to be at this school from 7 in the morning till no earlier than 5 in the afternoon. I’m not saying that in order to live a good and successful life you have to take six AP classes, but you have to work hard and show dedication to whatever you’re pursuing. And I say this with words of caution. Don’t be fake. I’m involved in several different choirs, Marching Band; I participated in some sports, and I try to be involved in theater, as well as many of the other clubs offered at our school. The thing is, I only do things I enjoy, and all of those things work in my favor. If you’re unfamiliar with anime, or you call manga “main-gha,” don’t join the anime/manga club to show that you “do stuff.” I do feel people should try new clubs and activities, but it should be out of legitimate interest. Do things that you enjoy and that could lead to possibilities. I knew I wanted to do music forever because of how involved in the arts I am, but I didn’t realize I wanted to go into environmental studies until I took the class this year. I was interested and chose to take it, and I don’t regret it because now, I think I know what I want to do with my life. Do all that you can to obtain what you want, and you will be better for it.

You have to strive to make changes in your life, and in turn that affects others. That’s what Martin Luther King Jr. wanted. It’s what we should all want. That’s how your life can be improved and other lives as well. The only way you’ll ever find out is by taking the next step.

Photo By Lynette W.

The West Cook Homeownership Center is hiring a Foreclosure Outreach Specialist to conduct door-to-door outreach in Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Bellwood, and Austin. Supportive outreach tasks including preparing mailings, making phone calls, and other follow-up activities. The Specialist will also provide office support, including database entry and maintenance.

Click the link below for details:

Foreclosure Outreach Specialist

West Cook Homeownership Center

Turn your dials to WBEZ today at 2:45pm to hear the Oak Park Regional Housing Center’s Executive Director, Rob Breymaier, and Board Member, Dr. Maria Krysan discuss race, housing, the OPRHC model, and everything in between. They will be interviewed on the Afternoon Shift, a daily conversation about news, culture and ideas, hosted by Steve Edwards.

Don’t have a radio nearby? No problem. Listen to the conversation streaming live:

The Afternoon Shift

Celebrate the Diversity of our Community as the Housing Center honors Sandra Sokol and Mary Jo Schuler at our Annual Benefit.

Music by the Localvores.

Raffle Prizes include an iPad2.

Tickets available at our secure PayPal widget on the right –>.

Oak Park trustee looks back on first year

Photo by Jason Geil, staff photographer

Glenn Brewer has no regrets, but some critics do

By MARTY STEMPNIAK
Staff Reporter
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the election of the current Oak Park village board. And it’s been a year of noteworthy decisions for the group, including the approval of lights at the high school’s football stadium and the green-lighting of a controversial 20-story hotel in downtown Oak Park.

Glenn Brewer was the lone fresh face of the four board members elected April 7, 2009. President David Pope and trustees Colette Lueck and John Hedges were incumbents vying for re-election. Last week, Wednesday Journal sat down with Brewer to hear some of his thoughts on his first year at the board table.

Just 12 months in, Brewer is catching the attention of his colleagues. Ray Johnson, on the board since 2003, praised Brewer for his ability to synthesize complex issues and weigh in on matters without getting longwinded.

“He brings common sense and thoughtfulness to his position,” Johnson said. “In very few words, he gets right to the heart to of the matter, and I think that’s his greatest skill. Sometimes, folks might over explain things, but Glenn is able to dig right into the issue.”

Brewer, 53, was first approached by the Village Manager Association political party about running for trustee eight months before the election. He had previously served on several other boards, including those of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center and Unity Temple. He currently works as a community affairs specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Before getting elected in April, Brewer said two of his top challenges for the board were to “improve the organizational structure, staff competencies and efficiency of village hall,” along with maintaining a “thriving diverse community.”

One year later, Brewer says he is satisfied with how the board has performed since the election. He pointed to the board reinvigorating its system of committees – where trustees meet in small groups to flesh out certain issues – and the opening of a one-stop shop at village hall for people trying to open businesses as some accomplishments of the board and village hall in the past year. He says it’s still too early to say whether the 20-story hotel at Lake and Forest will be a success, as the project still needs to find financing.

Brewer believes the board has lived up to its promises of transparency pointing to amount of citizen comment and input.

“I think we’ve been good at reaching out and getting public input on our decisions,” he said.

Village hall still has progress to make in becoming more user-friendly for residents, Brewer said, cutting down on wait times and making each trip there more efficient.

Gary Schwab, who ran for village president against Brewer and his running mates, criticized the village board for its performance over the past year. All seven members are from the same political party, and, too often, trustees vote in “lock step,” without any disagreement. He believes the board “makes up the rules” as it goes along, pointing to the board approving a sale of a vacant building to Pan’s Food Center to create a parking lot, when the village had previously rejected a similar plan.

“All the sudden a parking lot is OK because they need the money,” Schwab said. “They make up the rules as they go along, and there is not any discussion.”

Schwab also criticized the board for earmarking TIF dollars to the hotel project, while not meeting all its obligations of paying out money to other taxing bodies. He said the one-stop business center was a positive, but it was an old idea that was in place previously.

Trustee John Hedges says people may not agree with how the board votes, but he believes its members do their homework and take their time in making decisions. He agrees the board can occasionally be too cohesive.

“Sometimes I wish there was a little more pushback from people, because we think a little too much alike, but that’s what happens when you head in this direction,” he said. “We kind of have the same philosophy of what local government should be like and how we should deal with issues, so there’s not very much disagreement on the board.”

Hedges said that Brewer is sometimes quiet at the board table, but he went through the same thing in his first year, as he caught up and learned how to do the job. Brewer admitted that it’s been a steep learning curve on certain issues, such as Oak Park’s tax increment financing districts.

“From Glenn’s perspective, I’m sure he’s still learning because I’m still learning,” Johnson said. “That’s one of the greatest aspects of the job; it’s never dull and it enriches you in ways that can surprise you sometimes.”

Besides making village hall friendlier to residents, Brewer says he also wants to see Oak Park work to attract more businesses, especially those that are locally owned. In addition, he wants the board to work with the village manager to make sure spending stays in check.

March 11, 2010

By MARK LAWTON mlawton@pioneerlocal.com

Foreclosures in Franklin Park have continued a five-year increase, going up 49 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the nonprofit Woodstock Institute. That’s the largest increase of 13 west Cook County suburbs.

Foreclosures are when a homeowner can’t make payments on a home loan and the bank or other lender takes legal action to repossess the house.

In Franklin Park, the number of foreclosures has grown 410 percent from 2005 to 2009.

Rob Breymeier, executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, speculates that Franklin Park has seen an increase due to a large number of first-time homebuyers and a high Latino population.

“Folks who are most likely to be taken advantage of are on the edge of what they can afford,” Braymeier said.

The increase in foreclosures has its roots in the subprime (above market rate) loan industry.

Initially, said Braymeier, a number of homebuyers borrowed from subprime lending institutions and had to pay more for the loan than the market rate.

“In many cases, these were people who were qualified for better loans but got subprime loans mostly because of race and ethnicity,” Breymeier said.

“It was much more prevalent in the African American and Latino communities.”

According to the U.S. Census Web site, more than one third of the residents in Franklin Park are of Latino ancestry.

“Then the market went beyond those two groups and started to provide exotic types of loans to people that weren’t intended for those types of loans,” Breymeier said. “Such as adjustable rate mortgage loans. It was fine for people who were getting a large increase in income in the short term, like doctors and lawyers who were just out of school.”

Such loans still worked for many people while housing values were increasing. Then, in 2006, housing values stopped increasing.

“People were in real trouble,” Breymeier said. “They were betting on their homes increasing in value. No refinancing was allowed. Also, the banks started tightening up their lending criteria based on the fact that the market was crumbling.”

The poor economy of the last couple years has only exacerbated the problem, causing homeowners to lose their jobs and income.

The priority of the Franklin Park government is to make sure foreclosed homes are maintained so properties don’t get vandalized, said Jeff Eder, director of community development.

“So they don’t stand out like sore thumbs,” Eder said. Last year, village trustees passed an ordinance requiring owners of foreclosed properties — banks, lenders — to notify the village.

Kurt Kugelberg, a Franklin Park resident who serves on the village Plan Commission and is a former urban planner, suggests the village government apply for federal stimulus funds so it can buy foreclosed properties.

“Either tear it down and sell it to the lot next door or restore them and sell them,” Kugelberg said.

The city of Northlake has also seen an increase in foreclosures. From 2008 to 2009, foreclosures increased from 127 to 172.

“It drives everybody’s property values down,” said Mayor Jeff Sherwin. “When houses are eventually sold, they are sold for much less.”

In the interim, the city’s public works department takes on maintenance — which costs the city time and money.

Geoff Smith, senior vice president of the Woodstock Institute, expects foreclosures to continue to remain high. The fourth quarter of 2009 saw the highest number of foreclosure filings since the mortgage crisis began.

“The economy is a weird and tricky thing,” said Smith. “We can see the gross domestic product and stock market going up. That doesn’t translate into jobs necessarily. Jobs tend to be the last thing to recover in a recession.”

In the meanwhile, Smith suggests the focus be on ways to keep people in their homes.

“If you let a person stay in a property, they have a place to live,” Smith said. “From a lender perspective, if they want to sell at some point, they have someone maintaining it.”