Signs of the Times

1) I found a silver certificate in my pocket
2) I passed up a pancake breakfast
3) Unemployment surges in Blue Island
A few weeks ago, I decided to visit Stefanelli’s for lunch. I remembered there being a five dollar bill in my coat pocket, and without checking for it, I took off down the street with visions of hot mostaccioli dancing in my head. I picked up my lunch, went to the counter to pay, pulled out the five dollar bill, and lo and behold, it was a silver certificate!
For any youngsters reading this, a silver certificate was a bill printed by the U.S. Treasury that was equal in value to the same amount of silver coinage. Thus, a five dollar silver certificate would be equal to five silver dollars. The most readily distinguishable feature of these bills was that the seal was printed in blue. They ceased production of these over forty years ago, and people used to save them because they would be worth something some day.
I think that whoever had this bill before me was saving it for that exact reason. However, with the economy being what it is, I imagine that people are starting to spend whatever bills and coins they have stashed away just to make ends meet. I don’t know how I came to possess this bill, and for a minute I wondered what it might be worth. Then, no doubt like its previous owner, I realized that in the condition it was in, it was probably worth about $5.50. I imagined the time and energy it would take to find someone willing to buy it, and in the end I just handed it to the cashier.
Not long ago, a member of a local church stopped in to sell me tickets to a pancake breakfast. I am well known for buying tickets to every pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner in town. There’s nothing like getting a good meal and supporting a neighborhood group at the same time. This time I had to say no.
It is important for members of community churches, charities, and organizations to support local business. These are the people that you go to for donations, door prizes, and auction items. If you are not spending your money with the businesses that you go to for donations, the businesses will not be around to support you. Times are tough for everyone, so shop in Blue Island and identify yourself as a member of your church, charity, or organization. The group you save may be your own.
Lastly, we recently received a letter from the Paul Revere Primary & Intermediate School Parent Teacher Organization. According to the letter, 65% of their students’ parents are currently seeking employment. The unemployment rate in Illinois was recently reported at 7.6%. The general Chicago area is 6.5%. An unemployment rate of 65% among parents in Blue Island is frightening. The PTO is holding a job fair on February 13th, and they are expecting 250 prospective employees to attend.
All the more reason to spend your money here in Blue Island. According to the National Small Business Association, over 50% of working people are employed by small businesses. If you are working for a real estate office, a restaurant, a beauty parlor, a law office, a doctor’s office, an independent retailer, a small grocery store, or any number of other small businesses here in our city, it is in your best interest to shop here. The job you save may be your own.
It is only by small business owners, employees, and community groups alike banding together and committing themselves to patronizing Blue Island businesses that we as a community will be able to survive this economic downturn. Spend your money in Blue Island, the city you save may be your own.

Candace Carr
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