2009 Scholarship Essay Winners

Andrew Rachwalski
Lemont is a beautiful and historic town. The citizens of Lemont take great pride in their village because it is a melting pot of cultures, nationalities, and beliefs. The downtown area should be one of Lemont's crown jewels, the most unifying part of it, yet businesses struggle to survive in this area. Because of the geographic location of the downtown, it is not highly visible to the average passerby. Therefore, I think it is crucial that there is a downtown business to continually attract a variety of people. My idea for a Lemont business is a multi-purpose theater to provide entertainment for the whole community.

This theater would have numerous benefits associated with it. It would be an inexpensive, family-oriented, multi-purpose venue that could be utilized by several different agencies. Its fundamental purpose would be to serve the citizens of Lemont during these trying economic times by providing inexpensive entertainment. The main source of entertainment would come from the movie screen. Classic movies would be played as well as new releases when appropriate. In addition to a movie screen, a stage would be used for plays, solo performances, dance recitals, concerts, and speeches or presentations. Perhaps in collaboration with Allegro Music Academy, the Lemont Park District, or other organizations, the venue would be available for their use for concerts or theater productions. As a general gathering space for the citizens of Lemont, local political debates could be held there as well as general informational meetings regarding the town. Because of the potential for varied activities associated with the theater, a variety of people would patronize it: children, teens, adults, parents, and senior citizens.

Revenue would not only be generated from ticket sales, but also from refreshments. Refreshments would be geared toward the crowd and depend on the event. Snacks could be served during a movie showing or light refreshments could be served during a town meeting. Partnerships with local businesses could be utilized to expose theater patrons to their products. For example, have Ali Tucker cater appetizers during the intermission of a play, or provide Brandt Cellars with a spacious facility to host a wine tasting event, or serve ice cream from a local shop during a children's movie.

How would this theater remedy the problem of attracting visitors to the downtown area? It would be a unique attraction to downtown Lemont. Because of the variety of events this venue would support, the influx of patrons would be constantly changing. This would minimize the potential for "business fatigue" where the same people grow tired of a commercial district because they visit too often. Overflow from performances and movies would most likely draw customers to restaurants and bars in the surrounding area. The theater could be strategically located so a marquee could be visible from a distance and from the State Street bridge. As new people from surrounding communities are drawn into the downtown area, the increased popularity could provide the catalyst for entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. It would provide a gathering space for not only the town, but for the surrounding area to socially interact. Overall, this theater would generate great success for the surrounding area and a reason for people to visit and enjoy the historic downtown Lemont.


Rebecca George
The business I would start in Lemont would be a tutoring center for elementary and middle school students. I am an intern at River Valley School and work with a class of third graders. Many of them struggle with basic concepts in subjects such as math and science. Many parents have asked me if I was interested in tutoring their children. So many teachers tutor outside of school on their private time. But, professional adult help is very expensive. I believe I could begin a business, which employs some of our intelligent and motivated Lemont High School students, for half of the cost of an adult tutor. But, would give benefits beyond assistance with schoolwork by giving younger children role models and generating local tax dollars and foot traffic in the downtown area.

The Need: Kids who really struggle are offered the G.R.O.W.L. program at the elementary level. It is an after school program that is an hour long, in which children can get help with their homework. It is only twice a week after school, and the other days the children have to rely on their parents or siblings for help if they do not understand. Parents have various reasons why they cannot help their kids, such as: being busy with work, they fight with their children over homework and don't work well together, or they just don't understand how to help their kids because they don't know the concepts. It may not be very difficult to do kindergarten through fifth grade math. But once kids get to middle school and start pre-algebra, some parents cannot help their kids because their skills are lacking. Some parents of children who need assistance do not have the money to pay a professional adult tutor. A high school or even college student tutor would be much more affordable, but knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

If I began a tutoring center, it would be a great place for high school students and college students to get a job making money, as well as being a mentor to young children. One aspect where it would be better to have teens rather than having adults teaching is because these kids will see what great success high school students can achieve through being tutors and make them want to do well in school. High school and college age tutors would bring a lot of enthusiasm to the challenge of teaching skills to struggling students, because they know what the stakes are for kids who just can't get it. Parents are always looking for a good role model for their young children and this would be a great opportunity for elementary students to see high school students: working on homework, having a positive role in our community, while earning money to support their own higher education.

It would also generate income in the community. When my sister was struggling in eighth grade with her math, my parents sent her to the Huntington Learning Center in Orland. They spent quite a bit of money (which was tough on their budgets) and the part of it was the taxes Huntington had to pay to Orland Park. If we had a tutoring center in Lemont, our community would reap the benefits of the taxes taken out. Also, we would have a much better chance of the teens working at our tutoring center in town using their paychecks in town. Whether the teen tutors are buying a meal at Subway or Taco Bell, getting their hair done at Salon 312 or Tangles, buying a new outfit at Jakks or Kohl's or purchasing gas at Citgo, having some extra money from a tutoring job can go straight back into Lemont businesses. It would help stimulate our local economy in both these ways.

I would also strategically place the tutoring center in downtown Lemont. Parents would be traveling down there to drop off their kids and, instead of going home for an hour, might spend the time shopping in our historic downtown or going into many fine restaurants. There are many new businesses opening up like Bottles, Jakk's, the art store and along the canal in the Loft's and if we stimulate foot traffic, the area restaurants and businesses will benefit. I know that there are some storefronts that are open and I would try to make a deal with the landlord to get affordable space. Perhaps it could even be a tax write off for them, since they would be doing something to help the community. Of course, insurance is necessary and would have to be figured into my start up and on-going expenses. I would research grants to see if I could get start up funding though. I would be able to find desks, chairs and lighting for the work involved, hopefully through second hand stores, which could be bought for less and fixed up cheaply with bright paint. Many times at River Valley they are getting rid of the old textbooks because they have gotten new ones. Just because they are five years old, does not mean the book is useless. Instead of throwing out these gently used books, they could be recycled and used to help young students in our community. To get the word out about the tutoring center and to generate business, I would send a flyer home with each child at Oakwood, River Valley, Central, St. Cyril's, St. Al's and St. Pats, as well as Old Quarry. Another great way to advertise would be writing an article for the Reporter that everyone in Lemont would be able to see.

Starting a business is a very large challenge, especially in this horrible economy. I truly feel that if there is such a great need in the community for tutoring that the business will prosper and grow over time. It would be a great asset to community members and their children.