Tuesday, November 13, 2012

OHMS Club, Purple Heart Medal, South Chicago Vietnam War Memorial, Anna Garcia, CEDA Service, Happy Thanksgiving

                “ORGANIZED HISPANICS MAKING 
                                STRIDES” CLUB 
Left to right: Jaime Garcia, OHMS Board member; Marco Calderon, President;
Eric Aponte, Sgt. at Arms; Silvana Tabares, Ruben Almendarez, Tresurer;
Joe Blanco, Vice-President; Jose Barrios, Vice-President
          O.H.M.S. is the acronym for “Organized Hispanics Making Strides.” In electrical terms, an OHM is a unit of electrical resistance equal to one volt. The 20 active club members are Latino Union electricians members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union, Local 134. President of the OHMS Club, Marco Calderon, has been an  IBEW Local 134 member for over twelve years; and the president of OHMS for the past six. “Our mission is to promote more Latinos for apprenticeship positions and ultimately to become journeymen members of Local 134”, said Marco. 
          ON SATURDAY, Nov. 3, 2012, the OHMS club sponsored a Candlelight Bowl fund-raiser in the Town of Cicero. They also hold a an annual Toy Drive, plus the OHMS members volunteer in the “Rebuilding Together” program; a program designed to help low income families with electrical repairs. 
          IN THE POLITICAL arena the OHMS club members support candidates seeking public office who support the aims and goals of IBEW Local 134. “We try to promote the involvement of our members in IBEW Union affairs,” said Marco. 
          STATE REPRESENTATIVE Silvana Tabares [D-21st District] was a special guest at the Candlelight Bowl. “A member of  my family is an electrician and several members are Teamsters. I am pro-labor,” said Silvana. Tabares thanked the OHMS members for their support. 
          THE OHMS Club meets at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at the ShyWays S.A.C., 2272 S. Blue Island Ave. For more info call Marco at 312/735-0406. 
          PURPLE HEART: The first purple heart medal was called the Washington’s Badge of Military Merit and was established in 1782. It was a purple-colored, heart-shaped cloth badge. It was awarded to soldiers in the Continental Army for both heroism and meritorious service. Only three have been known to be presented. 
          AFTER THE American Revolution, the Continental Army was disbanded and the “purple heart” was forgotten for 150 years. Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1932 revived the purple heart award as a full-sized medal. MacArthur looked at Washington’s purple heart badge as inspiration. The new purple heart had an entirely different purpose. 
          THE PURPLE HEART medal is awarded to U.S. military soldiers wounded in combat by the enemy. The medal itself is heart-shaped, with the profile of President George Washington in white on a purple background. Recipients are eligible to join The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a veteran organization. 



          THE VIETNAM WAR Memorial monument, 3201 E. 91st St., South Chicago bears the names of eight Purple Heart recipients: Antonio C. Chavez Jr., Peter Rodriquez, Joseph A. Quiroz, Michael S. Miranda, Dennis J. Rodriguez, Alfred Urdiales, Charles Urdiales Jr. and Edward Cervantes. 
          OTHER MEXICAN-AMERICAN recipients of the Purple Heart are as follows: Jose M. Lopez, Ferdinand Marcos, Kristian Menchaca, Ron Benavidez [Medal of Honor], Angel Mendez, William Miranda, Lupe Martinez, Robert Cardenas, Benito Garcia, Pedro Cano, Joe R. Martinez, Felix Z. Longoria, Jr., Baldomero Lopez, Agustin Ramos Calero, Joe Sanchez, Carlos Lozada, Manuel Perez Jr. [Medal of Honor], Emily Perez, Victor M. Franco Jr., Fernando Luis Garcia, Marcario Garcia, Victor Franco Sr., Tommy Gomez, David M. Gonzalez. There have been 1.7 million Purple Hearts awarded. 
Anna Garcia
          DIABETES DAY:  Anna Garcia, Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, from St. Anthony Hospital Diabetes Center, administered diabetes screening tests to twelve people last Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 at the Little Village Community Council. The attendance was sparse due to the heavy rain storm Saturday. 
          ANNA GARCIA has worked at St. Anthony for the past four years. She was born in Chicago and lives in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. She graduated from Whitney Young High School, attended the University of Champaign-Urbana earning a degree in psychology and at the University of Chicago [U.I.C.] a degree in Human nutrition. 
          TO PREVENT DIABETES Anna recommends making healthy food choices and control meal portions. “Eating healthy foods like whole grains, lean meats, lots of vegetables and fruits can help prevent becoming a diabetic,” said Anna. 
          GARCIA is a registered dietitian [RD], license dietitian [LD]and a certified dietitian educator [CDE].  Co-worker, Jose Rodriguez, Community Relations Assistant from Saint Anthony Hospital also helped with the diabetes screening test assisting Anna Garcia. Jose can be contracted at 773/484-4397. 

                       Ayuda de luz gas para familias le bajos ingresos. 

          CEDA SERVICE: Julieta Bolivar, bilingual representative from the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Incorporated [CEDA] will be accepting applications from low-income families for financial assistance for gas and energy bills on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Little Village Community Council, 3610 W. 26th Street. 
          REQUIREMENTS: 

  • Social Security numbers for all members of the household
  • Current gas and electric billing statements
  • Proof of Income of the last 30 days
  • Employment Check Stubs
  • If paid in cash bring in a letter from employer stating payroll status on employers letterhead which includes Employer Name, address and telephone number