By William S. Bike
TUTORS NEEDED
Help adult immigrants learn English at Aquinas Literacy Center. Volunteer as a one-on-one tutor for just 90 minutes per week at 1751 W. 35th St. You do not have to speak another language; all tutoring is in English. Register in advance to begin tutoring. For more information, email [email protected] or call (773) 927-0512.
AUDITORIUM NEWS
Auditorium Theatre will host a jazz-gospel performance of Handel’s Messiah on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4. It will present the song and dance performance Step Afrika! on Saturday, Jan. 14. The theatre is at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. Call (312) 341-2300.

SOCCER PROGRAMS
The Chicago City Soccer Club offers youth soccer programming. See chicagocitysoccerclub.com.
REPAIR FAIR
Get broken items and clothes repaired at the Chicago Tool Library/Chicago Association of Realtors Repair Fair at the Richard J. Daley Branch Library, 3400 S. Halsted St., on Saturday, Dec. 3. Call (312) 747-8990.
HEALTH JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership announced 11 community based organizations (CBOs) that will serve as local employers for the City of Chicago’s Community Health Response Corps, funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health, which awarded a $19.2 million grant to the partnership. The Resurrection Project, 1805 S. Paulina St., is one of the CBOs that will serve as an employer under the partnership. The University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Sinai Urban Health Institute, Malcolm X College, and the Illinois Community Health Workers Association partner in this work and will create an Earn-and-Learn program allowing corps members to use 7.5 hours per week of paid work time toward a public health or healthcare career. For more information, log on to https://chicookworks.org/.
MEETINGS SET
The Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens Advisory Council will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 5:45 p.m. at the fieldhouse. All are welcome. The park is at 1801 S. Indiana Ave. Call (312) 328-0821.
HOLY FAMILY NEWS
Church of the Holy Family and Saint Ignatius College Prep will host a Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 8:10 a.m., and a Solemnity of the Epiphany Mass on Friday, Jan. 6, at 8:10 a.m. A coffee reception will follow each Mass in the church office center’s Tully room. RSVP for Mass and reception at (312) 492-8442, ext. 3. The Cardinal’s Christmas Concert will be Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. Performance is free and no tickets are necessary. The church is at 1080 W. Roosevelt Rd.; Saint Ignatius College Prep is located at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd.
CAREER CENTER
The City of Chicago Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities has launched a career center at 2102 W. Ogden Ave. To sign up for services, email [email protected] or call (312) 746-5773 and select prompt no. 3.
HONOR GRANTS
Cook County awarded $1.4 million in Honor Grants, a program spearheaded by the Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs, to expand programming offered by nonprofit organizations that serve veterans and their families. Locally, the Chicago Lighthouse received $100,000, and the Illinois Medical District Guest House Foundation Road Home received $50,000. For information, visit www.cookcountyil.gov/honorgrants.
DELASALLE NEWS
DeLaSalle Institute will hold its high school entrance exam makeup session on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 a.m. Enjoy the school’s Christmas concert on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. DeLaSalle is at 3434 S. Michigan Ave. Call (312) 842-7355 or log on to www.dls.org.
FIRST UNITED NEWS
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., second floor, will host a performance by the Chicago Chamber Choir on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. The Longest Night worship service will be held Saturday, Dec. 17, at 5 p.m. Advent 4: Mary, Love, and Charles Wesley, a special music and arts worship service, will be held Sunday, Dec. 18, at 11 a.m. Christkindlmarket Caroling with the Temple Choir will be Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 12:10 p.m. in Daley Plaza. Events on Christmas Eve, Saturday, Dec. 24, feature lessons and carols at 4 p.m.; family lessons and carols at 5:30 p.m.; and a candlelight service at 7 p.m. A Christmas Day service on Sunday, Dec. 25, will be held at 11 a.m. St. Luke’s UMC Youth Choir will sing on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at 12:10 p.m. A Watch Night worship service will be held Friday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m. The Epiphany Sunday service on Sunday, Jan. 1, will be at 11 a.m. Call (312) 236-4548.

GOOD HOPE THANKSGIVING
Good Hope Free Will Baptist Church hosted its annual Thanksgiving celebration Nov. 12, in which church members and community volunteers gave out 300 frozen turkeys and served more than 500 hot meals to community members. Throughout the day, church members and volunteers also delivered hot meals to those in need throughout the West Side and neighboring communities, including those experiencing homelessness. DoorDash provided $3,000 to help buy both the frozen turkeys and the hot meals. The church is at 525 S. California Ave. Call (773) 533-9212.
GLESSNER HOUSE NEWS
Glessner House, 1800 S. Prairie Ave., offers 75-minute docent-led tours on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. The house will be decorated for Christmas through Saturday, Dec. 31. Several holiday related events are planned, including a gingerbread decorating party for children on Saturday, Dec. 3. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.glessnerhouse.org.
HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE
The Illinois Emergency Homeowner Assistance Fund is accepting applications for mortgage assistance of up to $60,000. Log on to www.open-communities.org/ilhaf.
ICNC FUNDRAISER
The Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago will hold its annual fundraiser at the Hatchery on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m. featuring celebrity chef Rick Bayless as keynote speaker. The Hatchery is at 135 N. Kedzie Ave. Call (312) 421-3941.
JOFFREY NEWS
Joffrey Ballet will perform the Nutcracker Saturday, Dec. 3, through Tuesday, Dec. 27, at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr. Call (312) 386-8905.
ASSESSOR PROGRAMS
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi notes homeowners often are unaware of programs such as the Veterans with Disabilities Exemption, Returning Veterans Exemption, and other property tax reduction programs. In some cases, homeowners can apply for past property tax savings from previous years. In Cook County, this process is called a Certificate of Error, allowing homeowners to correct up to three years in property tax savings. For more information visit cookcountyassessor.com.
MOLD-A-RAMA
Mold-A-Rama, a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, tells the story of the retro machines that make plastic figurines right before your eyes. For more than 60 years, Mold-A-Rama machines have pumped out hundreds of varieties of collectible plastic novelties while providing guests a peek into mass production. The exhibit runs until fall 2023. The museum is at 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Log on to www.msichicago.org for more information.
OUR LADY OF THE HOLY FAMILY NEWS
Our Lady of the Holy Family, 1334 W. Flournoy St., holds Sunday Masses at 9 a.m. in English and 11 a.m. in Spanish. Saturday evening Mass is at 5 p.m.; Monday and Friday evening Mass is at 6 p.m.
Mass is held at 6 p.m. in the church on Mondays followed by the Holy Rosary at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday Masses are at 8 a.m. in the chapel at 1335 W. Harrison St. On Friday, there is a 6 p.m. Mass in the church followed by Adoration and Confessions.
OLHF offers a Friday Food Pantry for area residents facing food shortages. Contact the parish office or just come to the pantry, located behind the church at 1334 W. Flournoy St., from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays.
Call (312) 243-7400, email [email protected], or log on to www.olhfchi.org.
SAINT IGNATIUS NEWS
Saint Ignatius College Prep held a special Mass Nov. 14 at Holy Family Church in support of the school’s junior varsity hockey team. Sixteen students were hurt, three critically, when a semi-trailer truck hit the team’s bus on Nov. 12. Warsaw, IN, police said the driver of the semi, Victor Santos, failed a sobriety test.
The school is at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. Call (312) 421-5900 or log on to www.ignatius.org.
ST. JEROME PLAY DATE
St. Jerome School, 3017 S. Wells St., will hold its Christmas Play Date on Tuesday, Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m., and parents and their preschool and kindergarten children are invited. Enjoy refreshments, games, a visit from St. Nick, and get information about the school’s Early Learning Campus. Call (312) 291-9023.
SHRINE EVENTS
The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii on Saturday, Dec. 3, will host its Mary and Christmas concert. It will begin with a pre-concert buffet at 6 p.m. The concert will run from 7:45 to 9 p.m., followed by a champagne and pastry reception.
The shrine is at 1224 W. Lexington St. Call (312) 421-3757.
FREE BOOKS FOR KIDS
Open Books Pilsen provides free books for children; adults pay whatever they want when they purchase books. The store is at 905 W. 19th St. Call (312) 243-9776.
HELP FOR VETERANS
Veterans Guide helps veterans obtain proper disability compensation, financial assistance, information on the GI bill, and other government services. See veteransguide.org/.
READING, WRITING COMPETITION
Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White encourages students in grades four through 12 to enter the Letters About Literature in Illinois reading and writing competition, offered by the Illinois State Library’s Illinois Center for the Book. The competition invites students to read a book of their choice and write a letter to the author about how the work changed their life or view of the world. The deadline for submission is Thursday, Dec. 15. For more information, call (217) 558-2065 or email [email protected], or log on to ilsos.gov/departments/library/center_for_the_book/.