Luke Laudolff packed a lot of living into his almost 10‑1/2 years of life on this earth. From the time he was a very young child he loved all living creatures and he was a natural for volunteer work in the Kids ‘N Kritters program at Anderson Animal Shelter (AAS). Unfortunately, his life ended while he was young. His parents want his memory and love of animals to live on. They chose AAS as a charity that family and friends could contribute to in memory of Luke.
The 3rd annual Luke Laudolff Pet Carnival will be held at Petco, 1885 S. Randall Rd. in Geneva on Sat., July 10 from 10 am–3 pm. The day’s activities include Bobbi Panter Beauty consultations for pets, pet caricatures, pet massages, games and contests for pets and kids, balloon animals and more. Anderson Animal Shelter will have dogs and cats on-hand that are available for adoption. All donations will benefit Anderson Animal Shelter.
lukelaudoff.com.

For the Health of It! focuses on important health and wellness information for all ages on Sat., July 24 from 9 am–Noon in the Delnor Health & Wellness Center parking lot. The day includes screenings (orthotic, grip strength, blood pressure and posture), diabetes information, sun safety tips and demonstrations in the latest group exercise classes, including zumba, pilates and yoga.
Kids can enjoy a Teddy Bear Wellness Clinic that teaches about oral health, nutrition, fitness and first aid. Each child will receive a free teddy bear. There will also be face painting and the Geneva Fire Department will be on hand to provide information about fire safety. Food and beverages will be for sale and raffle prizes will be awarded, including a free three month membership. 630-208-3933.

CASA Kane County’s Golf for a Child invitational will be held Mon., Aug. 30 at the St. Charles Country Club. Registration and practice begin at 10 am with lunch at 11 am and a shotgun start at 12:30 pm. Dinner and awards will follow at 5:30 pm. The cost is $300 per player or $1,200 per foursome. CASA Kane County is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile and Probate Court systems. casakanecounty.org

Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice (FVVH) is offering help for families with children ages 5–18 to cope with a death loss of a loved one. Two summer programs are designed to give them the tools to move on. Programs are free, but registration is required. Call Christy Pitol at 630-232-2233, ext. 230.
Herbie’s Friends is a support group for families who have experienced a loss. The group meets Thursdays, July 8 to Aug.12, from 6–8 pm, at FVVH, 200 Whitfield Drive in Geneva.
Grief Takes a Hike (GTAH) is an overnight family adventure held at Inspiration Center in Walworth, WI. Included is transportation from FVVH offices in Geneva, lodging, meals, and activities. GTAH begins at 4:30 pm on Fri., Aug. 6, and returns to Geneva on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 pm. There is a $50 refundable deposit to secure a reservation for GTAH.

On May 17 the Batavia League of Women Voters and the Geneva-St. Charles League of Women Voters merged to form the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County. 40 members attended the first annual meeting at the Oscar Swan Country Inn in Geneva.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that promotes political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League sponsors candidate forums, registers voters, studies and acts on local, state and national issues and observes and reports on local government meetings.
lwvckc@gmail.com

The Rotary Club of Batavia opened the 22nd Annual Corvette Raffle at the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show in June. Proceeds are returned to the community through donations to various community service programs. The Grand Prize is a 2011 Corvette convertible (or $40,000 cash) with seven other cash prizes. Tickets are $100 and only 800 will be sold. Tickets are available from Rotary Club members; at Avenue Motors; by mail: Rotary Club of Batavia, P.O. Box 111, Batavia, IL 60510 or at bataviarotaryclub.org. The raffle takes place on Sat., Nov. 20 at Avenue Motors, McKee and Randall, at 7 pm.
The Rotary Club of Batavia meets at Apple Villa Restaurant on Randall Road, Tuesdays at 7:15 am.

The Alice Gustafson School PTO will host its annual Children’s Clothing and Toy Resale on Fri., Sept. 17 from 6–9 pm and Sat., Sept. 18 from 8–11 am at 905 Carlisle Rd. in Batavia. The massive sale features infant through teen clothing for all seasons, maternity wear, baby equipment and furniture, shoes, uniforms, sporting goods, costumes, books, games, videos, CDs and toys.
The clothing and toy resale is one of the PTO’s major fundraising events. Participants selling their items receive 60% of the sales price, while the remaining 40% goes to the PTO. Income from the sale is used for educational programs, materials and equipment for AGS students and staff. Interested participants may still register to sell items. agspto.org

Beginner and expert gardeners alike are needed to help the Batavia Community Garden grow. The group is looking for volunteers to join the list of Batavians who are planting, watering and harvesting produce to be donated to the Batavia Food Pantry. Volunteers can sign up as an individual or as a group. Church groups, scout troops, Bunco and coffee clutches all join in to help on Saturday mornings from 9 am-Noon at the northwest corner of Main and Water Streets. Help is needed the weeks of July 10, Sept. 4, 18, 25 and October 2. Contact Jen Warta jwarta@hotmail.com or 630-406-9504.

Girl Scouts collect cookies for soldiers overseas

In 2009 the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois collected 18,000 boxes of cookies to send overseas to the men and women serving in the US Military. This year the girls exceeded all expectations by collecting over 26,000 boxes of cookies to send with the help of Operation Care Packages and Fox Valley Troop Support, Inc.
Each box is sent with a hand-colored page thanking the Troops for all that they do. Operation Care Packages and Fox Valley Troop Support, Inc. still need donations of basic toiletries and postage to send with the care packages that accompany each box of cookies.
operationcarepackages.org or fvts.org

The Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation names new president

The Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation (BMCF) has named Jennifer Meiring its new president. BMCF installed its new Board of Directors including Beth Feller, President-Elect; Shauna Huck, Past President; Tammi Groesbeck, Treasurer; Tracy Beling, Secretary; Pam Kent, Ways and Means; Katie Hulett, Philanthropic; and Tara Gray, Communications at a ceremony in May. Meiring will oversee all aspects of the 501c3 organization, which raises money and hosts community events to improve the lives of children and families in the Fox Valley area.
2010-2011 General Meetings will be held the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, Sept. through May, at the Batavia Public Library. bataviamothersclub.org

Fermilab offers a variety of classes that mix fun with learning to keep kids busy this summer. Science Adventures are informal classes for students in grades kindergarten through grade 10 held on various days during the summer. The upcoming hands-on classes include engineering with Legos, learning about the universe, exploring different forms of matter, designing a butterfly habitat and learning the skills of a junior prairie ranger. fnal.gov

The Zonta Club of St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia is welcoming new members. Members share a commitment to enhance the status of women worldwide, provide community service to individuals and their families and raise funds to support important local and international service projects. zontawest-sgb.org

Batavia United Way announced that Haley Stralka, a graphic arts student at Waubonsee Community College (WCC), designed a logo for the group’s second annual 5K run. With the date of the fundraiser moved from late September to Sat., Oct. 23, coinciding with Batavia’s BatFest, the group was looking to graphically illustrate the event with a design they could use year after year.
“Our marketing committee chose to move our event when the BatFest date became available,” says Jody Haltenhof, executive director of Batavia United Way. “Rather than change the name of our event (5k for Batavia United Way), we wanted to graphically show our new connection to Batavia MainStreet’s Batfest. We think Haley’s design does this.” BataviaUnitedWay.org

The Kane County Female Inmate Garden Vegetable Stand opens for the season Tues., July 13. The stand is located on the NW corner of Peck Road and Rt. 38 in St. Charles. Freshly harvested vegetables, grown on-site in a pesticide free garden, will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Noon–3 pm throughout the season. Proceeds from the stand are donated to local non-profit organizations and also used to support the continuation of the award-winning inmate garden project.
The inmate garden began as a partnership between Kane County Adult Corrections and University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Female inmates volunteer to participate in the program where they learn basic gardening skills and workplace ethics from Master Gardener mentors. The garden is now located on the grounds of the U of I Research Farm where the inmates have been very successful in raising prize-winning vegetables. 630-584-6166

Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley is seeking volunteers to help adults read, write and speak English better. More than 30 adults are waiting to learn. A four-session tutor training workshop is scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays July 12, 14, 19 and 21 from 6:30–9 pm at the St. Charles Public Library. The workshop teaches the methods used to tutor adults in English while discussing the issues people face when they have little knowledge of the American culture.
Trained volunteers are matched with one adult learner and teach one hour per week at a time that is convenient. Pairs meet in public locations including the library. Volunteers do not need to know a second language or have a background in education to help. According to learners, the most successful tutors are good listeners and give practical information. Staff members provide continuing support.
lvfv.org or call 630-584-4428.

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