The Life from Berwyn, Illinois • 3

For photo and page reprints: snapshots.mysuburbanlife.com NEWS Weekend Edition The Life 3 All Ismael Vargas, Cicero CeaseFire supervisor Explorers car wash The Berwyn Police Explorers are holding a car wash fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 5 and 6 at the VFW at 15th Street and Harlem Avenue. It will cost $5 for an exterior wash, and larger cars will cost $7. For $2, they will clean the interior.

American Music Festival FitzGeralds on Roosevelt Road will host its 28th annual American Music Festival July 2-5. The venue will host bands playing a variety of music. Bands take the stage at 4:30 p.m. July 2-3, and at 1 p.m. July 4-5.

Four-day passes can be purchased for $80. Regular admission is paid at the door. Recycle Old Glory If you purchased a new American flag for this coming Fourth of July, take your old star-spangled banner to the Riverside Public Library. The library is going green by collecting old or used American flags, along with batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, ink cartridges and old cell phones. The library is on Burlington Road in Riverside.

1BM11 I Who has the better fans? Results as of press time: Cubs 58 percent Sox 42 percent snapshots.mysuburbanlife.com554375 Ismael Vargas surveys the Kolar Park field in Cicero that was to be used for an intercommunity softball tournament, one of the events of CeaseFire Week. mysuburbanlife.com A Suburban Life publication Caroll Stacklin, president publisher cstacklinmysuburbanlife.com Call (630) 368-1100 Fax (630) 969-3062 1101 W. 31st Suite 100 Downers Grove, IL 60515 Missed delivery service (708)352-9852 Meet the staff Jonathan Schuler, news editor 630)368-8939 jschulermysuburbanlife.com Cari Brokamp, reporter (630)368-8904 cbrokampmysuburbanlife.com Danya Hooker, reporter (630)379-7955 dhookermysuburbaniife.com Ellyn Ong Vea reporter (630)666-3684 eoveamysuburbanlife.com EDITORIAL Mark Colosimo, executive editor (630) 368-8914, mcolosimomysuburbanlife.com ADVERTISING Bill Casey, vice president of advertising (630) 368-8856, bcaseymysuburbanlife.com Carrie Banas, advertising manager (630) 368-8883, cbanasmysuburbanlife.com Michael James, national accounts manager (630) 457-2677, mjamesmysuburbanlife.com Loryn Hawkins, classified advertising manager (630) 368-8801, lhawkinsmysuburbanlife.com To place an ad: Display (630) 368-1100 Classified (630) 368-1100 Legal notice (630) 368-8805 CIRCULATION PRODUCTION John Novosel, vice president of circulation (708) 588-7667, jnovoselmysuburbanlife.com For commercial printing Inquiries, call (708) 588-7653. General Information Life USPS 051-780 is published semi-weekly by GateHouse Media Suburban Newspapers, 7545 Santa Fe Drive, Hodgkins, IL 60525. Periodical postage paid at North Riverside and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster Send address changes to BerwynCicero Life, 7545 Santa Fe Drive, Hodgkins, IL 60525. All home delivered subscriptions Of the Life now include the Sunday Chicago Tribune. Subscription rates Mail delivery $38 per year Mail delivery $65 per year (out of area) Get the picture and the page For photo reprints, follow the Web link found under each photo. Page reprints are available through the Snapshots link on mysuburbanlife.com or by e-mailing pagereprintsmysuburbanlife.com. Include publication, date and page number.

CesasdFire sijperasor: (God Md a purpose far my life Staff photo by Andrew Westel Did you know? Statelawmakers haveapproved more than $6 million for CeaseFire In the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, after funding was cut last year. The gover-' norstillneedstosigntheoverallbudget gang understand that I wanted a change, he said. I didnt want to see my new son go through the same thing I went through. His friends from that time ended up dead or in jail, but something kept Vargas from meeting a similar fate while in the gang. God had a purpose for my life he was goingto restore me and use me to help youth in the community, Vargas said.

I had learned the streets and saw that many youth had the same issue I had, not having a father or a mentor, being lost out there. He moved to Cicero nine years ago, and began work as a youth pastor at local church, La Vida Abundante, or the The Abundant Life. Wanting to become more deeply involved in the community, in October 2006, he was hired as CeaseFire supervisor. THE MINI RELAY FOR LIFE JULY 29, Tell us what you think at mysuburbanlife.com NEWSBERWYH City Hall OKd as landmark The City Council approved designating City Hall as the first official Berwyn Historic Landmark, but opted not to give similar recognition to a Sears mail order home that is awaiting demolition. Page 9 CARTOPIA IN THE WORKS This year Jon Fey, chairman of the Berwyn Arts Council, struggled to find a time and place for the event.

Despite several months delay, Cartopia will take place during September. 1MMJ By Ellyn Ong Vea eoveamysuburbanlife.com Cicero CeaseFire Supervisor Ismael Vargas led area communities in rallies for peace this week, with the violence prevention and gang intervention programs annual CeaseFire week. The week began Sunday withlocal area churches preaching about peace in the pulpit. Plans continued throughout the week with a community mural, a vigil for local lives lost to violence and a peace march Friday. Vargas, the groups leader, worked to keep the program going with grant money when state funding was cut last year, and said once hes called to something, he doesnt let obstacles get in the way.

Raised in Puerto Rico, he came to Chicago at age 15 with his mother and three brothers after his parents divorced. We found ourselves here in the U.S. trying to make it. Without a father figure, we sought refuge and found it in the streets, he said. He and his brothers became members of a street gang.

But about four years later, he left the lifestyle, had a child and got married. It wasnt easy leaving, but I spoke about the future I wanted and helped friends in the KIDS CAN DO THE WALK AND LUMINARIA CEREMONY IN BERWYN. CALL (708) 788-2010, EXT. 14.