Sony Film | Day 1

Photo Credit: Mya Rose

We are so excited for this week! Tuesday was the first day of Jake from Sony Alpha filming TFD! The team, mentees and board are so happy and honored to have received this grant and opportunity like this for our nonprofit. We are being filmed to highlight our story as an organization and how far we have come within just this past year! It’s like a dream that we are able to partner with a brand like Sony and we now are able to transition to Sony cameras and equipment! This entire experience has been so exciting and a lot of fun. For mentorship, we had a mini-workshop held by Lu’Cretia and worked on editing photos from this past Saturday. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose and Jasmine

Maywoodian Families | Arteaga Family

Photo Credit: Mya Frank

How long have you lived in Maywood?:

About a year and a half.

What are you loving about Maywood?:

We love seeing small businesses come to life and thrive like the delicious Italian Ice shop down the street from us. We also love how friendly our neighbors are. We have felt welcome in our neighborhood since day one. People usually smile and wave as we take walks; it's been nice to enjoy that with the kids. There's also a community garden a few blocks away that my family gets fresh veggies from occasionally. My daughter takes drama classes at Maywood Fine Arts and it has been awesome to see her grow in her talents. We are also so grateful for everything that The Firehouse Dream is doing for the young people of the Proviso District. I like that there are opportunities to get involved in the community as well, like when my daughter and I participated in the neighborhood clean up.

Favorite memory in Maywood?:

Hmmm, I'd have to say it's a tie between the day we purchased our home and celebrated with kids inside of it and when I went on an 'Equity in the Arts' march with my daughter through Maywood Fine Arts. Buying our first home was a big deal and I also loved seeing my daughter flex her social justice muscles for our community.

What opportunities has Maywood brought to your family?:

We would not be able to afford a home this beautiful if it wasn't for Maywood. The previous owners took immaculate care of the place and were such beautiful people; we felt honored to be the next owners. It has been a blessing to have a yard for the kids to play in and space for them to run around. We lived in apartments previously. It has also been a privilege to work for The Firehouse Dream. The fact that they pay their contractors a living wage is huge for us and has allowed us to stay afloat even during the pandemic.

What hopes do you have for your Maywood community?:

I have a lot of hopes for Maywood. I would love to see more families move in. More playgrounds would be amazing too, as we don't have any that are upkept near us, which is really unfortunate. Also, an end to the gun violence that can sometimes terrorize our neighborhoods, and just an overall decrease in crime, would be a blessing. I would like to feel safer walking by myself or with my children. I'd also love to see the downtown area revitalized with shops and restaurants, for our residents to enjoy but also to bring in revenue from surrounding areas as well. A grocery store would be an answered prayer too.

What is something that your family enjoys doing together?:

Our family enjoys taking the kids to the park, going on nature walks in forest preserves, and having crazy, sometimes superhero-themed, dance parties at home :)

Photo Credit: Mya Frank, Suha Kassar, Cristal Andrade, Jasmyn Scavella, Houmam Kassar