Morton Salt Girl Celebration at Wrigley Field

Morton Salt girls pose in front of Wrigley Field.

My father works for Morton Salt and on Saturday the company celebrated the 100th birthday of the the Morton Salt Girl which is the company's logo. There was a huge celebration held at Wrigley Field which is also celebrating 100 years. The day began with an appearance of 30 girls dressed as the Morton Salt Girls that caused quite the sight especially if you are driving or walking by and have no idea what's going.

Employees and Morton Salt Girls getting ready for photos.

Afterward Morton Salt employees and their families were invited inside the stadium before the gates opened to the public. This time the employees took a company photo under the iconic scoreboard.

My Dad getting ready for the photo, he is the one in the black cap. 

 Meanwhile the Cubs were having their batting practice before the game in the afternoon.

Cubs players practicing.

President Gora's celebration in Chicago

On Thursday night, I had a great opportunity to attend Ball State President Jo Ann Gora's retirement reception at the University Club of Chicago. I covered the reception for "The Ball State Daily News". In October 2013, Gora announced she would retire at the end of June of this year after serving 10 years as president. She is the first female to serve as president of a public university in Indiana.

Gora told me her and her husband love visiting Chicago, she thinks it's a vibrant and exciting city. She loves going to the museums including the Art Institute and walking down Michigan Avenue. She talked to all the alumni in the room and spoke about all the changes that have occurred during her tenure.

The reception proved to be an excellent networking event with alumni in the Chicago metropolitan area. Within the first few minutes of my arrival Julie Stroh, associate vice president of alumni programs, quickly introduced me to President Gora. After a few minutes of conversation, Gora then introduced me to Mike Smith who spoke to me about his career after graduating from the Department of Journalism. I also met Shawn Malayter who works with the Ball State alumni chapter in Chicago.

I saw a few familiar faces at the event as well. I talked to the former editor-in-chief of "The Ball State Daily News" Benjamin Dashley who I worked with the first semester of my freshmen year . He now works for the Associated Press in Chicago. I also ran into Joe Pavilonis, a friend from the Ball State Runners' Association who graduated from the College of Architecture and Planning earlier this month.

Check out more pictures!

Joe Pavilonis and I at the reception. 

The attendees during the presentation. 

Veterans in Need Dinner

On Friday night May 9, My Mom and I attended the 3rd Annual Catholic Charities  Veterans in Need Dinner at The Union League Club of Chicago. The event raises funds and awareness for veterans who are facing poverty, homelessness, and addiction.

The program was emceed by CBS 2 News Anchor Rob Johnson.

Johnson opening the program.

The keynote speaker of the night was Admiral Michael G. Mullen who was the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served as principal military advisor to the president, Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

Admiral Mullen speaking to the attendees. 

I thought the whole event was very eye opening, I was aware of the hardships veterans faced but it was a superficial understanding. This event helped me understand more especially throughout the program which included speakers, photos, and a video.

In the lobby of the Union League Club of Chicago.