•June 5, 2024•

By Cheri Burcham

Family Life Educator

I do not enjoy cooking. I CAN cook – I just don’t like to. So, my husband and I have been fortunate to be able to eat out at restaurants quite often – when he also chose not to cook. When we had our son, I tried to cook more at home, but we slipped back into that same routine of going out to eat several days of the week – and our son was right there with us. I felt like it was good for him socially but would give him the opportunity to try a variety of foods, and to this day, there is not too many things he won’t eat! But it can be a challenge at times to take young children outside of the home for meals. The Illinois Early Learning Project (IELP) has a tip sheet on this very topic that I would like to share with you.  According to IELP, young children eat some meals outside of their home, including locations like: other homes, schools, parks, food courts, cafeterias, hotels, and restaurants. Supporting young children as they learn to enjoy meals in new places takes some effort, but the outcome is rewarding.   Read More

•June 5, 2024•

Ignoring a chronic condition will not make it go away, and suffering is simply a poor management technique. So, if you live with a long-term health condition, why not learn how to more effectively manage it and live an active and fulfilling life? Believe it or not, although the specifics of managing each condition vary, the skills for managing most chronic conditions are actually quite similar. Take Charge of Your Health is a program designed to help you become a better health manager. Cheri Burcham of University of Illinois Extension and Kara Brown of Community Care Systems have teamed up to provide this program weekly on Wednesday afternoons starting July 3 and ending August 14 (skipping August 7), from 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.  Read More

For Reservations Call 1-800-543-1770

June 3 - Breakfast Casserole, Warm Michigan Fruit, Roasted Sweet, Potatoes, Fruit Juice, Muffin or Cinnamon, Roll

June 4 - Fried Chicken, Twice Baked Mashed, Potatoes, Honey Glazed Baby Carrots, Kidney bean salad, Bread/Roll

June 5 - Lasagna, Green Beans, Romaine Side Salad, Berry Crisp

June 6 - BBQ Riblet, Parmesan Roasted, Potatoes, Creamed Corn Coleslaw, Mini Sub Roll 

June 7 - Chicken Strips, Mashed Potatoes with, White Gravy, Garlic Vegetables, Fruit or Salad, Bread/Roll

Gabriel Benning

Cannon Bernstein

Photos furnished

Head of the class - OVHS

Gabriel Benning was named Valedictorian of the Okaw Valley graduating class of 2024. Gabe plans on attending Princeton University in the fall. He played multiple sports throughout his high school career, including golf, baseball, and basketball. He was a member of the OV Scholastic Bowl Team and held the office of President of the OV Student Council and the OV NHS. 

Cannon Bernstein was named Salutatorian of the class. : Cannon plans to attend LLC this fall after receiving the Presidential Scholarship. He was on the OVHS golf team all four years of his high school career, Varsity Scholastic Bowl his senior year and held the office of Secretary of the Okaw Valley National Honor Society.

Graduation was held Saturday, May 11in the OVHS Gym.