I recently did some copywriting for Vosges Haut Chocolat's catalog -- the Gypsy-themed Valentine's Day issue. It's not available online, unfortunately, but here are some excerpts from the mailer, "A Book of Chocolate Love Spells." [The word Gypsy refers to the Roma people, a wandering ethnic group that originated in northern India around the 9th century. A creative people who live outside modern rules of ownership and property; the world is their home to wander.]
[Gypsies are said to travel with magic carpets and snakes and are notoriously private--it is almost impossible for an outsider to penetrate a gypsy band. Because so much of gypsy lore is shrouded in secrecy, popular culture tends to either romanticize or demonize them, focusing on their mystical powers.]
[The Gypsy woman was a muse for Bob Dylan's "Spanish Harlem Incident." He sings "Gypsy Girl in the hands of Harlem / Cannot hold you to its heat / Your temperature is too hot to taming feet are burning up the street..."]
[The pagan practice of men showering their sweethearts with roses started when early practitioners of herbal medicine learned that eating rose hips (the fruit of the rose that remains after the petals have fallen) assisted in many aspects of female health. So on Valentine's Day, bask in the knowledge that by enjoying roses, you are taking part in an ancient ritual.]
Cavalier Inn
(About Us section of website) Serving the North Hammond neighborhood and Polish Community for generations
Known simply as The Cav by those who frequent it, this Polish restaurant and bar has served the North Hammond neighborhood and Polish community for generations. The Cav is owned and managed by Wally and Mary Kasprzycki and their son, Wally. Wally Sr. arrived in the United States in 1938 and opened the Cavalier Inn 1949. The Cavalier Inn thrives not only because of the consistently wonderful Polish food (best pierogis and potato pancakes in town), but also to the welcoming atmosphere instituted by Wally and Mary, and carried on dutifully by their son.
There is something for everyone at The Cav. It accommodates the after-work dinner crowd, who fill up the paneled back room in the rear of the building, sitting in the cafeteria style tables, chatting with neighbors and friends, and waiting for their food. There is also the evening bar crowd who come in after 5 for a boilermaker. Then there is the late-night straggler who sits at the bar and keeps Wally company (or is it vice versa?). Finally, there is the Saturday afternoon crowd, who stop in for a plate of pierogis and game of pool.
The atmosphere in every scenario is the same-welcoming and accommodating. Located off the intersection of Gostlin and Torrence in Hammond, across from the Roller Dome, The Cav is easier to find these days due to outdoor ornamental lighting, facade improvements, and a new blacktop parking lot. The Hammond Urban Enterprise subsidized those improvements through the Business Facade Rebate Program. The City of Hammond contributed to the neighborhood by repaving Torrence streets and sidewalks and adding ornamental street lights. The decor includes wood carved Polish eagles, figurines in traditional folk dress, pictures of cavaliers, and a photograph of Wally Jr., a High School All-American in his Northwestern football uniform. The eclectic jukebox features Bear Down Chicago Bears Polka, God Bless Our Polish Pope, In Heaven There is No Beer, as well as tunes from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, John Cougar Mellencamp, and NSync.
There is more than just old-fashioned quaintness to The Cav; there is a history inherent in the walls of this building. Wally is not only a business owner and an immigrant, he is also a sponsor of many other immigrants since World War II. Wally sponsored hundreds of families from Poland and enjoys his patriarchal role in the community. The Cav serves as a comfort zone for those immigrants and their families, because it is the business owned by their first friend in the United States, and a familiar gathering place for many unsure new American citizens. The food is generous and filling. The menu includes pierogis, potato pancakes, czarina, stuffed cabbage (golabki), sausage and sauerkraut (kielbasa z kaputsta), lake perch, and American dishes such as burgers and chili. Mary Kasprzycki runs the kitchen with Dina and Teresa. She works approximately 12 hours per day six days a week or a total of 76 hours per week with her husband, intermittently greeting friends that come to eat. Two nights a week, Mary stays up until the wee hours of the morning making pierogis with her kitchen help.
A cavalier is a symbol of pride for Polish people. A Cavalier's Cross of Merit is Poland's highest civilian honor and a mark of distinction. Therefore, the Cavalier Inn is a gallant and proud name for a small-town restaurant and bar. When you visit, look for the kindly bartender with soft eyes and his friendly and stylish wife, who is responsible for so many well-fed Polish immigrants, their children and grandchildren in Northwest Indiana. On the cold winter days ahead you'll want plenty of meat and potatoes, pork chops, fish, and "kraut", and the Cavalier Inn does them just right.
Contact: Jean Lareau Profero, Inc. 1-888-4 Lean 5S www.ProferoInc.com
For Immediate Release Chicago, IL Profero, Inc. Adds New Office to Accommodate Growth CHICAGO, IL (April 6, 2007) — Profero Inc., a leader in Lean Enterprise methods, will be adding a new office space to their organization in April 2007. Profero will retain its main corporate headquarters in Chicago’s Printer’s Row neighborhood, but the new space in the historic Monadnock Building will allow for Profero’s recent expansion and growth.
Profero has enjoyed a number of recent successes. In the past year, they have expanded their client base and given dozens of workshops, trainings, and lectures in locations across the country. They have also launched a 5S Supply site , and are gearing up to launch a redesign of their main website. All these projects have led to more jobs, added income, and a need for additional accommodations.
Profero’s Tony Manos is optimistic about the added space. “In the past year, we’ve found that the office in Printer’s Row wasn’t large enough to accommodate all our clientele, staff, and storage needs. So, we decided that it was time to commit to additional space which will also foster better client-consultant interactions.” Built in 1893, the Monadnock building is a famed piece of Chicago Loop architecture, known for its “nationally acclaimed melding of historic character and modern technology.”
The Monadnock is also ideal for Profero since the building’s varied suite-sizes can grow as Profero grows. Manos stresses how the new Monadnock office will foster Profero’s continued expansion; “The additional space points to our recent gains and will give us more flexibility to suit our growth,” he says.
# # # About Profero, Inc.: Profero, Inc. coaches, guides, and delivers excellence via quality and process improvements including Lean Enterprise. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Profero performs services all over the world. For more information, see www.ProferoInc.com.
American Library Association Advocacy Registry Homepage: Our Nation’s Libraries Need More Advocates!
Your voice is crucial in making the case for libraries. You – the library patron, the library Friend, the library lover – are the heart and soul of the library community, and you can capture the attention of decision-makers like no one else. By subscribing to the Advocacy Registry, you will have access to a full range of benefits and advocacy tools including:
Online Action Kit (Also available to ALA members).
Key Message Web site (Also available to ALA members).
Best Practices Web site (Also available to the public).
Speak Out! E-News for Library Advocates (Quarterly e-newsletter available only to subscribers of the Advocacy Registry).
***This e-newsletter is a compilation of content from the Association of Library Trustees & Advocates, the Public Information Office, Chapter Relations, and the Washington Office. It will be published 4 times a year and available to Advocacy Registrants on the ALA website. If you are a subscriber, you can access this e-newsletter with your subscriber login and ID number. Please click here to access the Advocacy Registry Subscription Form. The $25.00 annual subscription to the Advocacy Registry will benefit anyone who actively supports their library – community library advocates, former library trustees, Friends, current and former ALA members, chapter members.
To submit to Speak Out! E-News for Library Advocates, visit the Call for Submissions Web site.
In an increasingly complex world with much competition for funding, grassroots advocacy is the key to the success for our libraries. Now is the time for us to stand together and to speak out for America’s libraries! Please consider subscribing to the Advocacy Registry today.
For the latest on how budget cuts are affecting libraries around the country, visit www.ala.org/libraryfunding. Through the Advocacy Registry, we will expand the power of individual voices by building a network of dedicated and knowledgeable advocates united in their belief in the power of America’s libraries.
Contact: Gretchen Kalwinski
Program Coordinator, ALTA 312-280-2161 gkalwinski@ala.org
For Immediate Release
June 21, 2005
Hayes and Neely receive 2005 ALTA/Gale Grant
CHICAGO -- American Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) named Maureen Hayes and Ruby Neely as the recipients of 2005 ALTA/Gale Outstanding Trustee Grant. Established in 1990, this award provides $750 each to attend an ALA Annual Meeting for the first time to two public library trustees who have demonstrated qualitative interests and efforts in supportive service of the local public library.
Ruby Neely is a trustee at the Farmers Branch Manske Library in Farmers Branch, Texas. She has served on the library's board for five years and presently is serving as chairman.
Maureen Hayes is a trustee at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, Ill. She also holds the position of the Bolingbrook Chamber Board President.
Both Hayes and Neely are looking forward to their first conference, which will afford them the opportunity to interact with trustees from different regions and compare notes on how their colleagues are handling funding, privacy, and legislative issues in their respective communities. To read the rest of this press release, click here.
Contact: Gretchen Kalwinski Program Assistant 312-280-2161 gkalwinski@ala.org
For Immediate Release: March 11, 2005
ALTA names Jim Connor and Robert B. Lyons as the 2005 Trustee Citation award winners
CHICAGO - American Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), named Jim Connor and Robert B. Lyons as the 2005 Trustee Citation award winners. The ALA Trustee Citation, established in 1941 to recognize public library trustees for distinguished service to library development, symbolizes and honors the best contributions and efforts of the estimated 60,000 American citizens who serve on library boards.
Connor is a trustee of Jefferson County Public library in Colorado. Lyons is a trustee of Schaumburg Township District library in Illinois.
Connor has been tireless in his efforts to energize the state trustee organization in Colorado, traveling nearly 10,000 miles throughout the region, to build an advocacy network for libraries. His enthusiasm for working with trustees and library advocates has been evident in all who see him at the ALA midwinter meetings and annual conferences. He has, per William Knott, the Jefferson County librarian in Colorado, created a new spirit of advocacy among public library trustees in the West.
Connor's recent accomplishments include establishing working relationships with his region's state librarians, setting up a Website for the trustees and advocates in his region, and organizing his many community contacts to speak in support of libraries.
"Lyons has been a very active legislative advocate for libraries both on the state and national levels," said Michael Madden, the director of the Schaumburg Township District Library.
"Lyons exemplifies the best traits needed in a public library trustee," said Jean Wilkins, director of the Illinois State Library.
Lyons has served as board president at both the local library and system level. He has worked steadfastly to improve libraries at the local, regional system, and state level and has helped to pass a number of bond and funding referenda over the years, all of which passed by a large margin. He is the 2002 recipient of the Illinois Library Association Trustee Citation award.
The awards will be presented during the Opening General Session of the ALA Annual Meeting in Chicago. During each ALA Annual Meeting, up to two trustees are presented with citations in recognition of distinguished service to library development.
CHICAGO - American Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) named Joel Hondorp and Karen Dyer as the recipients of the 2004 ALTA/Gale Outstanding Trustee Grant. Established in 1990, this award provides $750 each to attend an ALA Annual Conference for the first time to two public library trustees who have demonstrated qualitative interests and efforts in supportive service of the local public library. For the rest of the press release, click here:
ALTA names Alma Dennis as the 2004 Trustee Citation award recipient CHICAGO - American Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), named Alma Dennis as the 2004 Trustee Citation award winner. Dennis is currently serving her fourth term as a trustee of the Birmingham Public Library in Alabama.
Her recent accomplishments include garnering support from Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid to erect a vibrant mural entitled "A New Day in Birmingham" at the Birmingham Public Library and leading a campaign to raise $50,000 for the project.
"An impassioned fundraiser for libraries, Dennis has played a central role in forming an excellent relationship between the Birmingham Public Library and Birmingham's citizens," said Peggy F. Sparks, executive assistant to the superintendent of Birmingham's city schools. "Dennis understands that education is a needed tool for survival and has worked constantly to ensure that all children have the opportunity to enjoy the gift of reading." For the rest of the press release, click here:
The R.R. Donnelley Foundation and Simmesport State Bank are the winners of the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) Major Benefactors Honor Award. The award, two specially prepared citations for the recipient(s) and the beneficiary library, is given to individuals, families or corporate bodies for major benefactions to public libraries. For the rest of the press release, click here:
I am a writer of articles, essays, blog posts, and fiction. Since co-founding literary site Literago.org, I have been called a "literary maven," but am not quite sure what that means.
I recently did some copywriting for Vosges Haut Chocolat's catalog -- the Gypsy-themed Valentine's Day issue. It's not available online, unfortunately, but here are some excerpts from the mailer, "A Book of Chocolate Love Spells."
