Imagine having a job that is either walking distance or a short drive from home, where you get to breathe fresh air every day, where you have pleasant mornings and pleasant afternoons, encounter very little stress and have people thank you all day. Such is the life for three of the neighborhood crossing guards, Mary Ann Dziewinski, Diane Hull and Ron Podlesak.

Mary Ann Dziewinski has been working at the busy corner of Waiola and Ogden avenues for 11 years. With the corner busier all the time, it is really important that the kids wait until Dziewinski tells them it is OK to come across. As for the drivers, they are careful as well to heed the stop sign that is held high by Dziewinski.

“The parents often walk with their kids on the first few days of school, and after that, they know that I am there to cross them. I really appreciate that the moms and dads trust me enough with their kids,” Dziewinski said.

Knowing most of the kids from birth, it is gratifying for her to see the kids as they get older, go onto Park Junior High and then onto Lyons Township High School.

“Even after some of the kids graduate, they come back and say hello to me,” she said.
Living in Brookfield for 38 years, a grandmother of four, Dziewinski is happy to be part of the community and says that she feels the work is not only fun, but finds that it is rewarding to contribute to the community in this way.

“Everyone is friendly, says ‘hello,’ says ‘thank you’ to me and it makes me feel young.”
Diane Hull, at the corner of Waiola and Richmond for the past four years, had various jobs throughout the years when her children were growing up and attending school in the district. She picked up the newspaper one day and spotted the ad for crossing guard in La Grange Park and thought to herself, “I think I can do this.”

For four hours a day, Hull is on duty, helping the kids cross and also aiding a hand when needed for anyone at her intersection. With the ice and snow on the streets now, it is difficult to maneuver a stroller over the ice, but Hull is quick to dash across the street and lends anyone a hand. She’s also known to greet neighborhood dog owners and their canine charges.

A resident of La Grange Park for 38 years, she is proud of the community and really enjoys helping the kids every day. She has made a lot of friends and recognizes faces and names wherever she goes.

“The parents are very nice, too. At Thanksgiving, one of the mothers gave me pumpkin bread. And I still have a flower that one of the kids gave me on my dashboard,” Hull said.

True, being out in the fresh air means enduring all kinds of weather — these days, Hull puts on as many layers as she can find. Though some winter days are bone-chilling, the sun can be brutal.

Retired from the postal service, Ron Podlesak spent a lot of time outside for a lot of years, so the weather doesn’t faze him. He has been stationed at the corner of Kensington and Brewster for about 4 years.

Podlesak reports to the corner at 7:30 a.m. each day, sometimes earlier if there is band practice, and stays till 8:45 a.m. Then he is on the corner again from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the after school duty hours are from 3 to 4 p.m.

Having grown up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, Podlesak compares La Grange Park, its people and camaraderie to the old neighborhood. “Everyone is friendly and helps each other out.”

Podlesak lives in La Grange Park and is in walking distance to his post. He said we have three great schools and the kids that attend them are good kids, too.

An important and necessary part of the crossing guard program working to its best capacity is the support that the guards receive from the La Grange Park Police Department.

“The officers come out and see how everything is going and if there is someone whose license number needs to be reported, they are quick to track him or her down,” Podlesak said.

Podlesak echoes what the other crossing guards say about their positions.

“I have good mornings and good afternoons. There is not a day that people don’t thank me. I really enjoy myself. It’s more fun than a job — it’s a good thing.”