Boy Scouts' Gay Ban; Kentucky Derby Gala and More: Local Voices

We take a look at some of the latest community contributions on Patch: 

Village budget wins top national government award: The Village of Oak Park has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from theGovernment Finance Officer Association (GFOA) for fiscal year 2013, which began Jan. 1.

Boy Scouts of America Issues Statement on Membership Policy: The Executive Committee, on behalf of the National Executive Board, wrote a resolution for consideration that would remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone and would maintain the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America.

Celebrate the Night for Fenwick Black & White: Enjoy an evening of boutique shopping, dinner and fashion. Come see the students of Fenwick high school model this springs most current fasions, including great looks for prom. 

Public Invited to a Kentucky Derby Gala: Have you always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby and watch the “Run for the Roses”? West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA) has a great alternative to driving down to Louisville, Kentucky. WSSRA will be hosting their annual Derby Gala fundraiser on Saturday afternoon, May 4, 2013

There's a New Bike Shop in Town: Element Cyclesport - Now Open!: Owner Christopher Vassiliades is excited about the new store in Oak Park for a number of reasons.  “I love the fact that we have two stores near to each other-one in the city with a multisport focus and one more cycling-centric with our Oak Park location,” said Vassiliades. 

Fenwick Captures State Championship in TEAMS Competition: Fenwick High School is the state champion once again after placing first and second in the TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) Competition that was held at the Illinois Institute of Technology on March 8, 2013. This marks the 20th title in science competitions the school has captured under head coach Ramzi Farran, including 13 in this event. 

Local Producers Mentor Aspiring Musicians Onto The Stage & Into The Recording Studio: Oak Park resident, Kevin Reid has two great passions: songwriting and teaching. Reid will use his extensive experience as a private music educator (guitar, piano, bass, and drums) and a professional writer/producer to launch Rock Performance & Studio Recording, a 9-week program for up and coming musicians that ends with a live performance of several songs at a professional music venue and a recording session with producers. 

Concordia University Chicago - Relay For Life Event to Benefit American Cancer Society: Concordia University Chicago will host its annual cancer awareness Relay for Life event Saturday, April 27, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the athletic track at its River Forest campus, with a goal of raising $25,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Are you interested in sharing your knowledge, community news, organization updates accomplishments, advice, photo galleries, or anything else with our Patch readers? It's free and simple to post in Patch Local Voices here: Forest Park / Oak Park-River Forest. (Posts can also be cross-published to both sites.)