KCC_Giving Back_112119 by Shaw Media

INSIDE

non-profits • Features on amazing local and volunteers • 100 Kids Who Care Fox Valley doing good • Directory of organizations work in our community A PUBLICATION OF

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E D I S N I s ' t Wha 3 United Way 4 Project Mobility 6 CASA Kane County 8 St. Charles Episcopal Church 10 Northern Illinois Food Bank 12 St. Charles Park District 14 Cal's Angels 15 Random Acts Matter 16 Salvation Army 18 Anderson Animal Shelter 22 Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley 24 100 Kids Who Care Fox Valley 27 Valley Sheltered Workshop

Thank you to our Generous sponsors: My Advisor and Planner, LLC The Bike Rack Geneva Cabinet Gallery State Bank of Geneva Northern Illinois Food Bank St. Charles Park District Random Acts Matter McNally Heating & Cooling State Street Jewelers Mason, Faith & Hoscheit DDS, LTD La Huerta Grill & Market Spare Wheels Transportation

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BECAUSE EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO SUCCEED LIVE UNITED

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Fox Valley United Way promotes positive early childhood experiences to ensure that local children have what they need to succeed in school and in life. Volunteer or donate at foxvalleyunitedway.org

AURORA 44 E. Galena Blvd. Aurora, IL 60505

ST. CHARLES 202 W. Main St. 2nd Floor St. Charles, IL 60174

630-896-4636 info@foxvalleyunitedway.org foxvalleyunitedway.org

Sponsored by: St. Charles Park District

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Wanted:

Smiling Faces

VOLUNTEER

Join the Team! Be a Park Partner

Places to Help Natural Areas: Restoration Work Days Primrose Farm: Chores/Farm Special Events Hickory Knolls Discovery Center: Nature Special Events, Nature Programming Adult Activity Center: Northern Illinois Food Bank,, Member Mailings & More! Special Events: Egg Stuffing, Dance Recital Usher, Athletic & Family Event Assistants Aquatics: Pre/Post Season Clean-Up Park Sites: Beautiﬁcation Projects, Clean-Up Trails, Shorelines & More!

NOW Accepting

Individuals • Families • Businesses Scout Troops • School Groups Service Organizations

For more details, contact Lara Piner: 630-513-4330 or lpiner@stcparks.org To view all of the volunteer opportunities visit: stcparks.org/volunteering Thursday, November 21, 2019 | GIVING BACK | 13

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Cal’s Angels

Granting WISHES, raising AWARENESS and funding RESEARCH

to help kids fighting cancer.

al’s Angels is a Chicagoland based 501(c)(3) pediatric cancer foundation established in 2007 in memory of Cal Sutter, a 13-year-old who lost his battle with leukemia. Cal’s kindness and generosity inspired the start of Cal’s Angels. For over 12 years we have been able to bring hope and support to thousands of kids ﬁghting cancer and their families. Everything Cal’s Angels does is centered around our mission of granting wishes, raising awareness and funding research to help kids ﬁghting cancer.

WISHES

It all starts with a comfort kit provided to the family and ﬁlled with items to make their hospital stay more comfortable. This is just the beginning of a relationship built with the child ﬁghting cancer and their family. Cal’s also: hosts monthly hospital parties at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital,

grants $1,000 wishes, offers sibling assistance for extracurricular activities, delivers the holidays to families of a child ﬁghting cancer, decorates their homes with Holiday Lights, holds a year-round Toy Drive, and hosts a Fantasy Flight to the North Pole in partnership with United Airlines.

AWARENESS

Pediatric cancer affects over 40,000 children each year with 46 newly diagnosed children every day. Help to raise awareness for the gold ribbon and help kids with cancer! Awareness Programs include: In September, Chicagoland schools, businesses and towns Go Gold with Cal’s Angels. Year-round Cal’s will host Head Shave Events, a Glow Walk, Chicago Marathon & Fox Valley Half Marathon teams, and Social Media Awareness Campaigns.

RESEARCH

Hospital are committed to moving research forward as quickly as possible to save more children’s lives. Working collaboratively with researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Lurie Children’s we initiated the Cal’s Angels Drug Discovery Program with a commitment of one million dollars! “The partnership between Cal’s Angels and the community is imperative to close the gap between the current progress and the future advances in pediatric cancer, ultimately getting us closer to ﬁnding a cure. Cal’s Angels continues to make strides in creating awareness for pediatric cancer and the gold ribbon as well as the clinical trial arena,” said Stacey Sutter, President, and Co-Founder. Please join Cal’s Angels in the WAR (Wishes, Awareness & Research) against Pediatric Cancer.

Cal’s Angels and Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s

Sponsored by: MY ADVISOR & PLANNER, LLC 14 | GIVING BACK | Thursday, November 21, 2019

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Random Acts MMaakintg ta deifferrence for families

throughout the community

“

ou’re like my fairy godmothers.” That was the sentiment of a local teen, when Sharon LeGare and RAM Volunteers delivered a gift basket to her earlier this year, filled with items to make her transition to college life a happy one. You see, this particular teenager had been a real trooper, helping out with her younger siblings while her father battled ALS. So heading off to college, usually a time filled with excitement and anticipation, was kind of emotional. But LeGare, who is the Volunteer Coordinator for a local organization called Random Acts Matter, received the nomination form from the teens employer, and helped to coordinate the ACTof KINDNESS along with the team of volunteers. The group provides random acts of kindness – from gift baskets to routine tasks to needed clothing and household items – to local residents in need. Such a basket, filled with dorm essentials, gift cards and more, was delivered to the teen before she landed on campus. “I imagine it is going to be very difficult emotionally to leave her Dad and go off to school when he is sick,” LeGare shared that the young girl is such a caring and loving person who works full time to help towards the care of her siblings. That’s a load. The basket made for a bitter-sweet send-off.” Funded solely by donations from community members and local businesses and run by volunteers, the effort has provided more than 200 random acts since it was founded two and a half years ago. All recipients must live in the 60174 or 60175 zip codes, or live in School District 303, and be nominated by anyone who sees that someone needs a Random ACT of Kindness. (A friend, neighbor, co-worker, a school, church, or local organization.) Some of the random acts that the organization’s team of volunteers have provided include delivering food for those in crisis situations, donating a bike to

a student in need, providing housecleaning, family activities, date nights, back to school clothes, and meals for parents of a seriously ill child and many more. On average, each random act costs between $250 and $300. The group’s goal is offer two random acts of kindness every week. LeGare says that being a part of the organization has opened her eyes to how many people in the community are struggling and hurting. She explains that she’s motivated by that awareness and is grateful that RAM is trying to create a community environment of care and compassion. “You do these small acts of kindness but when you leave and you’ve seen the struggle, it really hits your heart. It is humbling to learn how many in our community are struggling. But it’s also very rewarding to have the privilege and opportunity to come along side our fellow neighbors and help a little bit. Some have said it renews their hope in people,” she says. In addition to providing care and compassion to the community, Random Acts Matter also awarded scholarships to a graduating senior from St. Charles North High School and to a student from St. Charles East High School. “We want to have an impact on our community, and cultivate kindness in our community and our schools,” she says. “Our schools have gratefully embraced Random Acts Matter. The schools are encouraging their students to thinking beyond themselves and take notice of those around them that are struggling.” Currently Random Acts Matter is in the stages of planning and preparing for our annual PAINT THE TOWN ORANGE, a week-long of community wide volunteerism to be held in February 2020. “It’s really about wanting to get the community involved,” she explains. “To mobilize them, get into the schools, the businesses, the neighborhoods. It’s

a wonderful week to spread the idea of sharing and giving kindness to others.” And while many volunteers in the program are residents and individuals, LeGare says partnership from the business community is essential. Donations of products, resources, and even hands-on services all help the group meet community needs. “The local businesses support RAM and we in turn support the businesses by the gift cards and items purchased to fill the baskets. It’s a fantastic symbiotic relationship.” Looking ahead, LeGare says the organization is involved in an outreach of its own, offering acts of kindness to veterans, first responders and other organizations such as BIG HEARTS OF FOXVALLEY. An ongoing partnership with Lazarus House provides gift baskets to residents who are transitioning to their own apartments and back to school clothes for the children. “We are growing our organization from both angles, random acts and outreach,” she says. Random Acts Matter is seeking more volunteers and hopes more nominations for families and residents in need of an act of kindness. “We want people to nominate” she says, “just go on our website – click nominate and tell us about the person who needs some compassion and care.” We provide baskets for those who are battling cancer, loss or recovering of injuries or accidents, financial needs, emotional or physical struggles, or simply ones of encouragement for those who are experiencing the rough and rocky roads of life. Sharon said “please partner with us, Random ACTS MATTER and help us be a blessing to someone you know and care about.” For more information about Random Acts Matter, visit WWW.RANDOMACTSMATTER.COM.

Sponsored by: Random Acts Matter Thursday, November 21, 2019 | GIVING BACK | 15

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y m r A n o i t a v l a the S W

hen you think of the Salvation Army, you might envision bell ringers on street corners during the holiday season or gently used items available at its thrift stores. But the Salvation Army does so much more to provide customized services in the communities it serves.

"While the Tri -City area has a median income of $96,000 - over $40,000 more than Chicago's median income - residents of St. Charles, Batavia and Geneva can face disaster at any time, such as losing a job due to company downsizing, repairing a house after a tornado or paying for costly medical treatment," explains Leora Conway-Moreno of The Salvation Army Tri-City Corps. Over 34,000 people in Kane County over the age of 16 live in poverty. Out of these people,only 11 percent are unemployed - 36 percent work either part or fulltime, and 53 percent are not in the labor force (retirees, students, and others not actively seeking employment). The rest are working but not making enough to access healthy foods, retired adults, or children under age 18. To assist these residents, the Salvation Army Tri-City Corps offers a daily food pantry, and twice a week it offers fresh foods donated by Blue Goose and other local retailers. Another area of support is providing affordable child care. The average annual cost of daycare is $4,714 – about 27 percent of income for parents making minimum wage. To help these families, the Salvation Army Tri-City Corps offers an after school program for $115 per month with scholarships available up to 100 percent. The after school program provides youngsters with homework help, arts, crafts, snacks and a gym for kids to burn off steam. During the summer, kids can ﬁnd a safe haven at the Salvation Army Tri-City Corps’ day or sleep away camps.

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To ensure these youngsters receive gifts under the tree, every December the Salvation Army Tri-City Corps’ gym is transformed into a winter wonderland where parents can “shop” for books, puzzles, toys and stocking stuffers that have been donated by the community. Parents also receive gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart for kids to go shopping as well as gift cards to Jewel to buy all the ﬁxings for a holiday meal. “This community has such as heart. We have about ﬁve to six staff members, but it’s mostly our volunteers who run our programs,” ConwayMoreno says. With the holiday season coming up, the Salvation Army Tri-City Corps seeks volunteers to ring bells and collect money from Nov. 8 through Dec. 24 (ringers get Sundays off). The agency’s goal is to collect $195,000 to support families in the Tri-City area. To put that into perspective, ConwayMoreno says $20 buys a new coat for a child and $135 sponsors a kid for one week at day camp. “If you sign up to ring a bell in the Tri-Cities, the money raised will stay in this area. You really have a chance to support your neighbors,” Conway-Moreno says. Please visit: WWW.SATRICITY.ORG for more info.

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, k c a b e v i Kids can g too BY DIANE KRIEGER SPIVAK

he word “volunteerism” generally conjures up the image of adults working together for a worthy cause. In the Fox Valley, that spirit of volunteerism has now expanded to the younger generation.

100 Kids Who Care Fox Valley took root in 2017 as an offshoot of 100 Women Who Care Fox Valley, both organized by Theoni Liimouris. The founding chapter of 100 Women Who Care was formed 13 years ago in Michigan as a way to raise money to buy baby cribs to curb infant mortality. The not-for-proﬁt now has chapters in the United States, Canada and Mexico. As with their adult counterparts, 100 Kids Who Care meet quarterly and choose a charity to offer their volunteer services.

We meet with the seasons,” says Erin Meitzler, who co-chairs the group with Kelly Moore. “There’s no registration. Anyone is welcome. You come when you can. If a project doesn’t interest you or your kids, you can sit that one out.” The laid-back approach to volunteering appeals to families with activities, sports and school demands. When a charity is chosen, the information is posted on the organization’s Facebook page and email distribution list. The Kids’ current project is with the Changing Children’s Worlds Foundation. “They want to have our children volunteers work with their art therapist and create pieces of artwork to be used at one of their beneﬁts to raise money for their organization. It’s different than anything we ever did before and it appeals to kids,” says Meitzler. Last year, 100 Kids volunteered for a Fox River cleanup project in partnership with the Batavia Environmental Commission. Recently, they headed to the Interfaith Food Pantry, also in Batavia, where they helped clean up. Other projects have included making pet blankets for the Anderson Animal Shelter and making sack lunches for clients of Lazarus House, in St. Charles. “Each family brought predetermined ingredients for the lunches,” says Meitzler. “The families signed up for what they would bring, and then the kids gathered to put everything together. They even made little happy messages to include in the lunches. The residents just loved the kids.” To volunteer for 100 Kids Who Care Fox Valley, email: 100kidswhocarefoxvalley@gmail.com. The organization encourages children of all ages to volunteer. During certain events, younger children ages six and under must have a parent present. “Generally, kids as young as 3 or 4 can participate very successfully, but of course, with their parents’ help,” says Meitzler. Volunteer opportunities typically aren’t really geared toward youngsters, says Meitlzer. “But we’ve received feedback that this is a great way to bring awareness to different organizations in the area. There are many in Fox Valley, but some smaller ones people don’t necessarily know about. I think awareness is as big a piece of the puzzle as anything else, that these organizations are out there to help people. “The kids really enjoy the opportunity to volunteer outside of school requirements and of their own accord,” says Meitzler. “A lot of them feel successful with the contributions they are making.”

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oc ccharities to support More o local in our community Casey’s Safe Haven

PO Box 103, Elburn caseyssafehaven.org

Casey’s Safe Haven Horse Rescue and Sanctuary is a holistic equine rescue. They welcome any equine – horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules – regardless of existing physical limitations and health, from animal control facilities, pony ride facilities, those retired from lesson programs, police force, and the race track, as well as healthy animals donated by loving owners who can no longer provide care.

Changing Children’s World Foundation 411 Stevens St., Geneva 630-909-9411 changingchildrensworlds.org

The Changing Children’s Worlds Foundation mission is for every child and adolescent to be supported in positive development by caregivers and professionals within loving, non-violent families and peaceful communities. Through parent groups and educational workshops we strive to promote a sense of community and foster empathy.

Embrace a Family embraceafamily.com

Embrace a Family provides single moms with tangible assistance in areas of need. Volunteers assist through food planning and recipes, creative

lunchbox ideas, coupon clipping, home and yard assistance and professional guidance such as career mentoring, debt counseling or budgeting help.

The Exchange Club of the Tri-Cities tcexchangeclub.com

For more than 30 years, men and women of the Tri-Cities area—St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia— have teamed up to serve their communities by embracing the Tri-Cities Exchange Club's main missions: prevention of child abuse, promotion of patriotism and recognition of student achievements. The Tri-Cities Exchange Club Foundation has donated money to numerous charitable organizations and causes through the years and has, on average, donated $20,000 per year to organizations.

Fox Valley Food for Health

630-709-2097 Foxvalleyfoodforhealth.org

Fox Valley Food for Health provides meals, cooked and prepared by teens and adult volunteers, to individuals and their families in our community who are diagnosed or going through treatment for cancer or other health crisis. Meals are primarily organic and provide critical nutrients to support recovery. Our Healthy Meals Program is free for 8-12 weeks and are prepared, cooked and packaged and delivered by volunteers, each week.

Greater St. Charles Education Foundation

P.O. Box 1366, St. Charles stced.org/foundation

The Greater St. Charles Education Foundation supports District 303 in reaching its goal of excellence in education through community awareness, involvement and philanthropy. The Foundation secures contributions from residents, local businesses and corporations through a variety of fundraising activities and annually distributes these funds through program grants to administrators and faculty of Distract 303, educational honorariums and college scholarships.

Horse Power Therapeutic Riding 46W276 Rt. 38, Maple Park 815-508-0804 • HorsePowerTR.com

HorsePower harnesses the healing power of the horse as while providing creative, inspiring and challenging therapeutic horseback riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities. Communication, connection, and teamwork between the student and their horse offers opportunities for physical, emotional, cognitive, sensory and social growth for groups and individuals served through the program at Fox Chase Farm.

Kiwanis

kiwanisofstcharles.org Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child

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Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative

and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of St. Charles is dedicated to serving the local community through various service and fundraising projects. Our club has been in service to our community for more than 50 years. We are part of Kiwanis International, an organization serving children for over 100 years.

1304 Ronzheimer Avenue St. Charles 331 228-4873

Lazarus House

214 Walnut St., St. Charles 630-587-2144 • lazarushouse.net Lazarus House helps people in need ﬁnd the shelter, food and other support services they need to get back on their feet who are connected to Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and western rural Kane County. Lazarus House offers services and referrals to help those in need in our community, to prevent homelessness, and to support the wellbeing of individuals and their families; and help homeless persons return to independent living with the skills and habits needed for long-term success.

The Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative provides comprehensive and highly specialized programs for exceptional children, the staff who serve them, and the families who love them in the Batavia, Kaneland, Central, St. Charles and Geneva Community School Districts. With the support of our families and the dedication of our staff, Mid-Valley strives to empower students to become independent, contributing members of their communities and foster and inspire life-long learning.

Not All Wounds Bleed 616 E. Main St., St. Charles 708-738-1557 notallwoundsbleed.com

Not All Wounds Bleed is a non-proﬁt agency providing a centralized database of resources for PTSD patients, their families and friends, and raises awareness about what PTSD is and is not, including the stigma of PTSD being solely military related.

Tricity Family Services 1120 Randall Ct., Geneva 630-232-1070 tricityfamilyservices.org

Tricity Family Services has been Kane County’s leading provider of counseling and other mental health services to clients of all ages and all income levels since 1967. The team of professional therapists provides communities with counseling, family-based treatment for eating disorders, emotional wellness workshops and support groups and employee assistance programs.

TriCity Health Partnership

318 Walnut St., St. Charles 630-377-9277 tchpfreeclinic.org

Since 2001, Tri City Health Partnership has provided quality medical care to residents of central Kane County. This nonproﬁt organization is completely funded by grants and donations from the local community, such as private citizens, townships, trusts and foundations, service clubs, churches, charity groups, and fundraisers. In addition, local specialists volunteer to provide services to our patients free of charge in their private ofﬁces on a referral basis.

Spare Wheels has been providing transportation for the Fox Valley for almost 20 years. You will ﬁnd our Drivers follow the policy of Customer Service as our #1 priority

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Special Events

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Senior Citizens

• Group Outings • Dinners • Theatre • Shopping • Casino Outings • Community Events • Festivals • Craft Fairs • Art Shows

630-377-GOES (4637) • E-mail: pickmeup@sparewheels.com • www.sparewheels.com You Tell Us Where, We’ll Take You There!

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p o h s k r o W d e r e t l e h S y e l Val V

alley Sheltered Workshop is one of Batavia’s hidden gems. Despite being established for 53 years, many people are not aware of this great community asset. Valley Sheltered Workshop was established by Rev. Gilbert Johnstone, who was the leader of the Batavia Baptist Church. He decided to create the organization because of his disabled son, Bobbie. With the help of six prominent Batavia businessmen, Valley Sheltered Workshop opened on May 6, 1966 in collaboration with Furnas Electric, later known as Siemens. The goal of VSW was to employ students with disabilities who were aging out of the Batavia school system.

Starting with just four young men, they have since grown to employ 22 people who range from 25 to 60 years of age. Since a variety of Fox

Valley businesses provide work which requires hand assembly, VSW is able to match the right employee to each job according to their skill level. Examples of these jobs include collating, hand packaging, light assembly, mailers, labeling, heat sealing and more. Employees of VSW are able to work on small or large jobs and can even accommodate one-time jobs. Supervision by VSW staff ensures the company’s quality standards are maintained during production. Considering their employees are paid per piece they complete instead of an hourly rate, companies beneﬁt from being able to reduce their overall expenses. In order to support the services VSW provides to area businesses, they hold two major fundraisers each year. Their annual Pancake Breakfast is always held on the ﬁrst Sunday in May. In

addition to the delicious breakfast, they also offer guests a cash drawing, a basket rafﬂe, and a silent auction. Their second annual event is a Pig Roast held in October and hosted by Team FIB BBQ – well-known local pitmasters. All proceeds from these two events go to support the operation and maintenance of VSW, so they may continue to provide a safe and supportive work environment for their employees and their unique needs.

Valley Sheltered Workshop is located at 325 Main Street in Batavia and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM. To see more of what they do, you can explore their website at WWW.VALLEYSHELTEREDWORKSHOP.ORG or stop by to see their employees in action – they do enjoy having visitors!

Sponsored by: MY ADVISOR & PLANNER, LLC Thursday, November 21, 2019 | GIVING BACK | 27

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