THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008


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Benefits & Fundraisers

A "Pooch & Parent Spa Day" for the Buddy Foundation, a local non-profit animal rescue organization, will be held this Saturday, Apr. 26 at Muddy Paws Kennels, 20429 N. Rand Road, Palatine, starting at 12 p.m. Dog baths, dog massages, and parent chair massages will be offered. For more information, call, 847-540-9451. Reservations are suggested. The Buddy Foundation is completing the construction of its quality animal shelter in Arlington Hts.

Dust off your clubs, break out your sunglasses and get ready to tee-off at the 12th Annual United Way Golf Classic. The popular event will be held on Wednesday, Apr. 30 at the Mt. Prospect Golf Club and will feature a shotgun start and scramble format. Northwest Community Hospital has stepped forward to sponsor the event, which United Way hopes will raise additional dollars for people in need in the community. The Golf Classic, which United Way heralds as the first golf event of the season, is held once again in memory of George Gattas, former athletic director at Prospect High School and long-time community volunteer. Three scholarships toward post-secondary education will be awarded in his name at the dinner to follow the event. Reservation forms for the 12th Annual Golf Classic are available online at www.uwnorthwest.org. For more information about the golf event or to make a donation, call the United Way office at 847-768-1074.

Journeys from PADS to HOPE, an organization helping individuals in Northwest suburban Cook County who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, hosts its 5K run/walk event on Saturday, May 3 at All Saints Lutheran Church, 630 S. Quentin Rd., Palatine. Registration is at 8:30 a.m., followed by a fun run at 9 a.m. and the 5K run at 9:15 a.m. There will be an awards lunch following the race and prizes for overall male and female winners, age groups and largest group/organization. For more information, call 847-963-9163 ext. 22, or visit www.padstohope.org.

Clearbrook's Jelly Belly Days will be held Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, from 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.at various storefronts and intersections throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. More than one thousand yellow-vested volunteers will trade the signature gourmet jelly beans for a donation during Rolling Meadows-based Clearbrook's 19th annual event. Nearly 3,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities supported by Clearbrook will benefit from this major fundraising event. Contact Janis Edelheit at 847-385-5008 or jedelheit@clearbrook.org for details or visit clearbrook.org.

On Saturday, May 17, area residents will lace up their walking shoes and pound the pavement towards a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF) at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Great Strides Walk-A-Thon, being held at Busse Woods, Grove 5-16. Participants are raising money to benefit the more than 1,000 families in the Chicago metropolitan area who are waging a daily battle against CF, the most common life-threatening genetic disease in the United States, affecting 30,000 children and adults. In addition, more than 10 million Americans are genetic carriers for the disease. Great Strides is the CF Foundation's largest national event. To get involved or to form your own fundraising walk team, call Amy Patterson of the Greater Illinois Chapter at 312-236-4491 x110 or visit www.cff.org/great_strides.

Clubs & Organizations

Geoff Gephart, chief development and program officer of USO of Illinois, will be the featured speaker at the Support4Vets monthly meeting on Thursday, Apr. 24, 7 p.m., Forest View Education Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road (Door 1), Arlington Heights. For more information including how you can assist veterans through Support4Vets, contact John Brennan at 847-259-9740 or www.support4vets.com.

A series of Spring Gardening Workshops will be offered on three Saturdays in April and May by the University of Illinois Extension Service in partnership with Friendship Park Conservatory. The workshops include a variety of horticultural topics aimed at helping you get started on spring gardening. There will also be demonstrations including garden grooming, container gardening; soils and fertilizer recommendations made simple; a digital diagnostics booth to help identify disease and insect problems. Master gardeners will be available to answer questions and provide general information on starting and maintaining a garden. 1st Workshop: Apr. 26; 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 2nd Workshop, May 10, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 3rd Workshop: May 17, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. For more information and costs, visit the website http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/cook. Friendship Park Conservatory is located at 395 Algonquin Road in Des Plaines.

District 214 Community Education Travel (CET) is hosting its fourth annual Spring Open House on Tuesday, Apr. 29 from 4-7:30 p.m. at Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd. in Arlington Heights. This Open House gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the many tours that will be presented by CET for 2008-09. Attendees are invited to browse the displays from CET and their travel partners and choose the tour to take during the upcoming year. They will also have the opportunity to talk with CET travelers and tour directors and to learn more about the upcoming destinations. Mini travel presentations will be held throughout the Open House highlighting what's to be learned by traveling to Costa Rica, China's Silk Road, Red Cliffs of Utah, Rails of New England, Ecuador and Galapagos, Tanzania, Disney for Adults, Alaska, Dubai and an Indian Ocean cruise. Attendees are also invited to participate in a raffle for a CET travel certificate and enjoy light refreshments. For more information, call 847-718-7709.

The Arlington Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every ( month Sept.-June. Meetings are held at the Arlington Historical Society, 110( W. Fremont, Arlington Hts. (just west of the library).( The program for the May 7 meeting, "Macro Photography", will be presented by Don Bolak and is a must for anyone interested in close-up images of flowers. The May 21 program will be "Digital is for the Birds& and the Animals", presented by award-winning photographer Walt Anderson. ( ( Meetings are open to the public.

"Les Bavards du Nord", a monthly francophone lunch group, will meet again on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m., for lunch and conversation in French at a Buffalo Grove-area restaurant to be announced later via email. Participants have various levels of proficiency in speaking French, including native speakers No membership required; listening in French is required. For full details, RSVP by e-mail to lesBavardsduNord@yahoo.com or call 847-921-7864 by the preceding Thursday evening. Visit lesbavardsfrancophones.blogspot.com.

Elk Grove Jaycees meet the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Pope's Pizza, 66 Devon Avenue. Write to Elk Grove Jaycees, P.O. Box 477, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, call (847-604-3268), e-mail jayceemich@comcast.net or visit www.egvjaycees.org. This is a leadership organization for young adults ages 21-41.

The Palatine Jaycees holds its monthly general meeting on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Palatine Road in Palatine. For information on the Palatine Jaycees, membership, any of their sponsored events or to join their email newsletter write to the Palatine Jaycees, Post Office Box 1517, Palatine, IL 60078-1517, call 847-604-0288, e-mail info@palatinejaycees.org or visit the web site at www.palatinejaycees.org.

Religion

Elk Grove Baptist Church, 801 Beisner Road, Elk Grove Village, invites area seniors to its Senior Luncheons, held the 3rd Friday of every other month at 11:30 a.m. Bring a dish to share if you like, and meet new friends while you enjoy good conversation and fellowship. The next gathering will be in April. Call the church for additional information or to get directions to the church, located immediately north of Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Looking for a fun, inexpensive, and easy way to take the family to dinner? Elk Grove Baptist Church invites you and yours to their Wednesday night dinners. Only $1.50 per person, these 6:00 o'clock wholesome dinners precede the church's weekly AWANA club night for children age 3 through grade 6. Call 847-593-8337 for further information.