As the sun begins to set on a warm Sunday afternoon in April, Boris Lukic turns on his 53-foot truck and begins the paperwork to hit the road. Once the Freightliner truck is on I-294, the setting sun beams a glare into the dirty windshield covered with spots from the previous night’s rainfall.

The truck is dirty both inside and out. Inside its dust and empty water bottles, the blue carpet under the seat, covered with dirt and Monster cans. Lukic attempts to use garbage bags that he has placed between the seats, but the winding roads only empty them making it look like a teenager’s bedroom.

Before he took his seat behind the 18-wheeler, Lukic’s dream was to become a police officer, and eventually work for the Chicago Police Department — and he was at one time, well on his way. But times became tight, and he made the decision to drop out of school and fend for his family.

Lukic’s father fell ill, and was forced to leave his job, taking away the families main source of income. Lukic said he had no choice, and took it upon himself to apply for a CDL, and slowly but surely he built up what is now his empire, Victory Express Inc.

“When my dad got sick, I got a CDL and began driving 7-days a-week just to help my family,” said Lukic.

For the first year, Lukic was on the road to often that he actually lived out of his truck. He worked for an independent company and drove 12-hours a-day, working Sunday-through-Sunday. This wasn’t exactly the American Dream he and his family had hoped for when they left rubble filled Bosnia.

Achieving the American Dream is a feat not everyone conquers, especially immigrants that set their sights on settling in the United States. Lukic said in America he was hoping to overcome the struggles he faced in Bosnia.

With the odds stacked against him, Lukic knew the best way to make money and prosper in America was to open his own company. He was told he couldn’t do it, but that didn’t stop him. Like immigrants who came before him, Lukic has become a self-made business man proving that the American Dream is what you make it.

After signing a contact with Empire Today LLC., Lukic moved to New York. He knew in order to start a company he needed trucks and drivers, and in New York he found both. He purchased two trucks, and hired one driver and both hit the open road.

The move wasn’t permanent and Lukic didn’t want to spend money on an apartment or hotels, so he lived out of his truck. The truck, a beaten up, scratch and rusty 1995 Alero was not only his home, but his job and the wheels to his dream. Lukic spent six months in New York, during this time he said he met some “incredible friends and build very strong relationships.”

One of the better relationships he built in the big apple was with Oral Morgan, a supervisor at Empire Today LLC.

“He is just a great guy,” Lukic said. “He always let me use his car, (he) took me out and made me feel like I wasn’t alone in New York.”

Lukic has maintained a relationship with Morgan, and spends time with him monthly on his annual trips to New York for business. When in New York, Lukic treats Morgan like he was treated when he had nothing. Lukic takes Morgan and his crew out for lunch, a sign of appreciation for Morgan’s helping-hand when Lukic needed it most.

On a recent trip, Lukic took Morgan and the crew to Hooters, and bought each employee 20 hot wings. At the end of their meal the office was lined with orange-colored napkins from the wing sauce. The guys sat around the office, most leaning back in their chairs with their stomachs bloated so much that creases in the shirts were invisible. They all reminisced about old times, and stories from their days out on the road.

“Boris is a very good man, he knows how to talk to people and gives a lot respect,” said Morgan.

Driving a truck for thousands of miles at a time is mentally and physically tiring, it takes a special person to be able to do it flawlessly, Morgan said.

“Boris is a good driver and he takes care of his trucks which makes him the right one to do Empire loads, said Miljenko Vuckovic, president of MDS Trucking V, one of Lukic’s contractors.

Lukic said the economy is striking every trucking company, no matter the ability you have behind the wheel. Everyday is a battle Lukic said; trucking companies are fighting to survive and that means working with customers on rates and dealing with the rising fuel costs. He said it also means postponing the purchase or lease of new equipment, and in some cases – the worse cases – it means letting people go.

Filling up gas on a standard car hurts the wallet, but filling up gas on a truck can put people into debt, Lukic said. His truck, called “Tornado” for its messy interior, hold 240 gallons of Diesel. At $3 a gallon, it costs him $720 to fill the tank. Add the cost for tolls and food, and Lukic easily spends $20,000 a month on his trucks.

While Lukic and his family were dodging bullets from the AK-47 and other various assault rifles on the unpaved streets of Zavdovic, Bosnia, they never dreamed of making $20,000 a month.

“Whenever a gun shot was heard, we never knew if our neighbor or even family members were dead or alive. It’s the worst feeling ever,” Lukic said.

“He was always terrified when he heard gunshots,” said Natasa Lukic, Boris’s sister. “No 10-year-old deserves to be hiding in basements, not knowing why he can’t be out with his friends playing soccer.”

These reminders, and his past life are what keep Lukic focused on the road ahead.

Every time he gets behind the wheel there is this grin on his face that runs from ear-to-ear. After fastening his seatbelt, and checking the pink iPod covered with smudges from a black Sharpie, he sets it to shuffle mode, puts the truck in drive and gets back to what he has grown to love most, being on the open road.

“I always stay positive. My childhood wasn’t the best but I survived, so I have no reason not to be positive,” Lukic said.

Article curtsey of Columbia Feature’s Blog.

“I wish I had that much power in the community, where my not liking rice on my burrito makes or breaks a major decision,” responded Staniszewski, president of the Portage Park Neighborhood Association.

Staniszewski has lived in the community for more than 18 years and said he has seen the place change, for better and for worse. Being involved in the neighborhood is something Staniszewski spends all of his time on. From Andersonville to Lakeview, Staniszewski has lived in all parts of Chicago, but recognizes Portage Park his home.

“At our very first meeting with Six Corners LLC (a business district in Portage Park), it was brought up that they were courting Chipotle to move into the Klee,” said Staniszewski. “I made a comment that I did not like Chipotle because they put rice on their burritos. Well, subsequently, Chipotle did not come in and I have been blamed for that ever since.”

In truth, the Portage Park Neighborhood Association is against chains, Staniszewski; they prefer local, home-grown businesses. When Klee Plaza started construction under the direction of Marc Sussman, Gerard said they clashed because the association was hassling them about their building project, which was supposed to bring more stores into the neighborhood.

Sussman declined to comment.

Staniszewski admits that the community needs Klee Plaza, a 64-unit condominium, 20,000-square-foot commercial development located in Portage Park’s ‘historic-style’ six-corners shopping district. But, he said, the community doesn’t need to “bend over backwards to do anything the developer wants.”

“Maybe we do not have the cool shops or restaurants, but we have the better neighborhood,” said Staniszweski.

The lack of “cool shops” is what scares Staniszewski, though. When he moved into the neighborhood 18 years ago, the neighborhood was booming, but since then local shops and businesses have left Portage Park.

A few years ago, the local business community hit a low point. There are still pockets where business is strong, said Staniszewski, but more shops and investment into the business side of the community is what will slowly bring it up.

Currently unemployed after six years as a digital print project manager, the 51-year-old spends most of his time making the community a better and safer place. “In reality, it is just what is in me. I love being part of a community …  and it beats watching TV,” Staniszewski said.

One would think that all of the time spent away from the home would negatively affect his relationship with his wife, but it has only made it stronger. As Staniszewski said, they have been married for almost 20 years “with no murders yet.”

Jill Staniszewski was a reluctant first lady when her husband filled the vacant presidency seat in 2004; now she sits on the board and accompanies him as he passes out monthly newsletters and organizes meetings.

According to Jill Staniszewski, their relationship has remained consistent; they talk about issues and weigh in on matters while offering opinions and suggestions.

“I could see that he was a good president, someone fair, who didn’t use the organization to further his own personal agenda,” she said about her husband’s position.

For the last three years, Gerard Staniszewski didn’t have an opponent for the presidency; he says it’s because it takes a lot to become involved in a community, and some people aren’t up for it. For the last two years, he didn’t even want to be president anymore, but nobody was there to take his place.

The alderman’s office has not approved any issues that the PPNA has fought against, demonstrating the power the association holds in the community. Even people who don’t directly work with Staniszewski say he is a great man with great character.

The neighborhood association holds its meetings thanks in part to Lydia Homes, who offers up the use of her building for their meetings. Travis Satterlee, who works for Homes, has met Staniszewski a few times and thinks he is a stand-up guy.

“I believe him to be reliable and conscientious about his work. He was deemed trustworthy to take on the responsibility of president of the PPNA,” said Satterlee. “He has received many votes of confidence from his community members.”

Portage Park, one of the safer neighborhoods in Chicago, has started to see a surge in gang activity; largely because of Carl Schurz High School, the area is now considered gang infiltrated, said Gerard Staniszewski, president of the Portage Park Neighborhood Association.

“I don’t want to kid anyone and make them believe that it’s as bad in other neighborhoods, but it is the largest [amount of gangs] we have seen in years,” said Staniszewski.

What makes gang presence in Portage Park so surprising is the neighborhood’s quiet atmosphere and its proximity to the northwest suburb of Niles. The Chicago suburbs aren’t typically known for gang activity, and many residents who live in Niles and Portage Park say they aren’t aware of the problem.

Piotr Topor, a 10-year resident of Portage Park, said he has noticed gangs but doesn’t think anything of them.

“From my experience it’s pretty safe,” he said. “I’ve never found myself in any danger.”

Staniszewski said part of the problem is that the community is blind to the gang increase. This could be because police in the 17th District, which stretches from Belmont Avenue north to Devon Avenue and from the Chicago River west to Cicero Avenue, try to take care of problems quietly and efficiently.

“We have seen an increase in tagging, but the police react very quickly,” Staniszweski said.

The common gangs at Schurz are said to be the Bloods and Crips, Staniszewski said, but smaller crews and gangs tend to branch out. Since the neighborhood has a larger elderly population than youth, the number of gangsters is still fairly small.

Usually gangs are known for fighting, vandalizing, drug dealing and pick-pocketing, but in Portage Park, the biggest threat they bring is tagging, according to David McNaughton, the 16th District commander.

“We stop them, we find out what’s going on, what they’re doing in the neighborhood,” McNaughton said. “We instruct them that type of behavior is not allowed here in our district.”

The 16th District has a special section on its Web site where residents can send pictures of the tagging so police can deal with it quickly.

If there are problems at home or school, troubled teens can get help at the Youth Outreach Center, located at 6417 W. Irving Park Road.

Ellisette Villegas, a treatment counselor at the Youth Outreach Center, said gangs are not the only issue the center deals with. Language barriers, single parent homes, mental health, runaway, grief and loss, poor decision-making and anger management are other problems she sees on a regular basis.

“More communication at home with parents-parent involvement along with consistent counseling” is the most effective way to combat gang recruitment, Villegas said.

Villegas said the center does see evidence of gang activity.

“Some clients will come in wearing specific colors or even talk about their own involvement, even though we explain to clients from the beginning that we prefer they leave that issue outside of the agency, especially if they are in a group setting,” Villegas said.

Villegas said some male gang members are troubled because of the absence of a father figure. Others have even more heart-wrenching stories.

“There have been clients who have been shot due to being involved or affiliated with gangs,” said Villegas. “Sometimes we have clients who have witnessed gang-related shootings, so there is some trauma to be dealt with. We as counselors usually find out about these events afterward and would then process with them.”’

Gangs typically start as a small crew, but through recruitment and addiction to drugs and the excitement of fitting in, they expand into a criminal entity that is hard to break. Many cities even have special police units to combat gangs in certain neighborhoods. Residents of Portage Park don’t have to worry about special units yet, but if the problem isn’t taken care of with swift action, some say the gangs could take over.

Gangs are a combination of three things, says Jack Murphy, director of security at Wright College: “Environment plays a role, a maturity aspect is there, and influence.”

The 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department said the best way to eliminate them is through swift action.

“Don’t put up with it,” Murphy said.

Babette Novak and Dirk Matthews, who created the Portage Park Farmers Market along with the Portage Park Neighborhood Association, say having farmers markets in all types of weather and in different seasons brings money into the economy and gets people involved.

“[It’s important to be involved in the neighborhood] because we are residents and homeowners and we want to help whatever way we can,” Novak said. “When we first moved here we thought the area needs a farmers market.”

The work Novak and Matthews do is put on display the last Saturday of each month — this month, on Feb. 27 — when they welcome vendors and residents to the market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This market is unlike the summer market; it’s a rare occasion that only a handful of Chicago’s residents get to enjoy because not every neighborhood has the funds or the power to have a winter market. But with the help of Friends of Portage Park, a neighborhood association, Novak and Matthews were able to start Portage Park’s first farmers market, which stretches the whole length of Portage Park on Irving Park Road.

The market, which began in October 2008 in conjunction with the annual Pumpkin Festival, differs from most others because it primarily features organic meats, poultry, eggs, cheeses, baked goods and more.

“We have a couple of produce vendors, but they’re greenhouse produce,” Novak said.

Taking care of the community isn’t always easy. Gerard Staniszewski, president of the Portage Park Neighborhood Association and supporter of the Portage Market, has to meet with local business owners and public officials to make sure the neighborhood is being taken care of. “It’s our job to take care of the community and care what happens in it,” said Staniszewski.

Even Staniszewski was surprised with how well the winter market was received.

“The numbers of attendees is good. Not as good as the summer, but you would expect that. And more vendors are taking part,” Staniszewski said. “I think it is great, it gets people out of the house.”

One of the greenhouse produce vendors, Tiny Greens, said winter markets aren’t typical, but they are glad to have people buying their products year-round.

“Most often the produce that I have found comes from cold storage. There are a few that have hot houses or raise produce ‘aquaponically’…We definitely have a niche market,” said Paula Jeremias of Tiny Greens.

“We wanted to start [a farmers market] as soon as we found out that there wasn’t one because we thought it would be great for the community,” Novak said. “When we started going to neighborhood meetings, we found out other people wanted one also.”

The winter market is welcomed by the residents in Portage Park because it gives them an alternative to standard grocery stores.

“We don’t have to buy the regular food from Jewel,” said Lizzy Nowak, a resident for over 18 years. “I like to have the organic meats and the fresh vegetables. It just feels right.”