Lesson learned about importance of shredding

By Mary Stanek

Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon

3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394

Happy Arbor Day! We celebrate on the 29^th of April and hopefully plant trees.

I mentioned previously that there will be a paper shred event on June 4 at Byrne Elementary School in Garfield Ridge, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. I must stress again the importance of discarding important papers based on firsthand experience.

On the weekend of April 15, as my husband and I were busily preparing our taxes, we generated a lot of paperwork with confidential information. We did shred the papers in our strip-cut shredder and discarded them in our recycling bin.

The next morning our bin was missing. Yes, it appeared someone had stolen our blue can. We walked up and down the alley and everyone’s blue cart was in place.

So, our worst fears came to mind. Someone with nothing to do is piecing our information together. Or what if we were careless and left some unshredded? Robert immediately bought a cross-cut shredder for future use, but that is like closing the barn door once the horse is out. I took the proactive approach and signed up to Life Lock and notified all three of the credit-check companies of our situation.

Identity theft can be devastating, so please make use of these shredding events. Next time I throw out sensitive material, I just might top it off with some of my used kitty litter to deter the would-be thieves! Thank you, to 23^rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares’ office for providing us with a new blue recycle cart almost immediately.

Last week I suggested maybe filling a bird feeder to celebrate Earth Day. I will now redact that comment. A highly virulent strain of avian flu has led to mass bird deaths in areas, including Cook County. Illinois residents are being asked to avoid feeding birds in feeders through the end of May. This influenza impacts wild and domestic birds in our state.

Visit the Archer Heights Branch Library from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4. Lions Club International will be distributing certificates for free glasses and eye exams. There are certain eligibility requirements such as being uninsured with a Social Security number and a one-person income at $25,760 or below ($9,080 for each additional family member). You couldn’t have used the program within the last 12 months.

Three birthdays are coming up in the next week. Birthday greetings go out to Cynthia Aranda, Fabiola Mejia-Motalto and Sandra Ramirez.