Publications & Sites 
Oak Park River Forest Chamber holds new membership drive
Updated: August 27, 2012 6:06AM
OPRF Chamber new
membership drive
The Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce is hosting a new incentive program to increase membership enrollment. The “Summer Drive” will feature a 10 percent discount off annual dues to any new joining members and two free listings in the Community Guide and will run through July 31.
“A savings of 10 percent to all new members joining and being listed in the Community Guide makes for a nice start to the summer,” said John Lawrence, Chamber president and owner of Weichert Realty in Oak Park. “Especially since being a part of the Chamber of Commerce is a proven way to boost your business.”
Chamber members are a diverse group of professionals who help create the vibrant local business communities of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. The Chamber hosts several monthly networking activities including Business After Hours, Networking Luncheons and multi-chamber get-togethers to help members build relationship and foster professional connections.
“We’re all about helping people to grow their businesses and personal networks,” said Jim Doss, executive director of the Chamber. “Although running your business is priority number one, you must never lose sight of growing your business. And the Chamber is a powerful growth engine for your business. As we like to say at the Chamber, we help you expand your reach within the community.”
For more information call Mike Vassolo, marketing committee of OPRF Chamber of Commerce, (708) 979-2281.
Pharmacy gets
rid of old drugs
Coordinated by Great Lakes Clean Water Organization, a Michigan-based nonprofit, the Yellow Jug Old Drugs program began in May 2009 in Michigan.
Currently, there are 220 pharmacies participating all across Michigan and in 2012 the program expanded to Illinois and Wisconsin. A participating pharmacy locally is Sears Pharmacy, 1003 Madison St., Oak Park; (708) 386-6304.
Until recently when an individual wanted to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired drugs, the only option available in many communities was to flush these substances down the drain or send to a landfill. In Illinois and across the country, this has led to an emerging problem of trace amounts of chemicals showing up in our water. The Yellow Jug Old Drugs Program in partnership with local pharmacies is providing a positive solution to help address the issue. Individuals can bring unused/unwanted/expired drugs to participating pharmacies for safe and proper disposal free of charge.
The Yellow Jug Old Drugs program accepts noncontrolled drugs only at pharmacies. Participating pharmacies have a list of accepted and not accepted items and can help customers with any questions.
There are also participating pharmacies in Lawndale, Jackson Park, Evanston, Westmont and Joliet. For a complete list, go to www.greatlakescleanwater.org; info@greatlakescleanwater.org; (993) 736-8179.
Geppetto’s Toy Box
has reopened
For the past three weeks the Masoncup family, owners of Geppetto’s Toy Box, at 730 Lake St., in Oak Park, have been rebuilding their business following the fire June 3 in their building. Geppetto’s Toy Box, celebrating its seventh year in Oak Park this fall, has gone through a complete overhaul following substantial smoke and water damage from the fire.
“Smoke is an invisible foe,” said owner Eric Masoncup. “Every single surface in the store had to be cleaned from product to fixtures, then every wall painted to seal them from the soot contamination — and that’s just the beginning,” Masoncup said.
Geppetto’s Toy Box kicked off its “Phoenix Grand Opening” Saturday, June 30, with a handprint “christening,” lots of fun raffles and a limited-edition T-shirt. Proceeds will benefit the Oak Park Fire Department’s charity of choice, and GTB neighbor, Hephzibah Children’s Association); a balloon artist was on hand too.
Eric Masoncup and his wife, Brandy, opened Geppetto’s Toy Box in mid-November, 2005. In the summer of 2007, with their neighbor closing, they were able to double the space and round out their offerings for the “conscious consumer” including cloth diapering, slings and other nontoxic children’s products. They’ve continued to stay focused on their goal of providing quality playthings from ethical manufacturers with exceptional customer service.
Despite the tragedy, the Masoncups and their staff embraced the situation and worked to expedite re-opening. “Our original estimates were so off,” said Masoncup. “The more we got into fixing things the more work seemed to appear. We couldn’t have done it without JC Restoration; they have been a real gift considering how overwhelming the situation has been for our family.”
GTB also had some fun with their situation, posting a picture of their staff in the window surrounded by lemons and playing with them. “I love being a part of this community and being a part of the families that live here. The hardest part of being closed is having that connection severed. But we have received the most unbelievable notes and cards from folks in the community; they have sustained us and kept us focused — the outpouring has touched us deeply.”
Rush OP Hospital
named ‘Most Wired’
Rush Oak Park Hospital has been named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” hospitals, according to results of Hospitals and Health Networks magazine’s “2012 Most Wired Survey.” Survey results are included in the July issue of H&HN.
Implementing the Epic electronic medical records system last year for all patients seamlessly linked Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush University Medical Center, creating one record for every patient in the Rush system and making each record immediately available to all Rush physicians. Rush Oak Park Hospital also launched an online billing system last year and continues to utilize social media for community outreach and communication.
For more information and complete results, see the cover story in H&HN at www.hhnmag.com.
