THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008
Village Honors Helping Hands
Elk Grove's Village Hall Council Chambers were overflowing as a standing room only crowd gathered to watch the mayor and village trustees honor students who participated in Elk Grove Community Character Coalition projects throughout last year.
Students completed projects in groups or individually, ranging from making blankets to holding food drives and fundraisers to assisting teachers.
Fourth grader Julia Smith raised $956.56 by herself to fund medical research for autism.
Smith made Christmas tree pins out of old puzzle pieces and sold them at craft shows in Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights.
Smith sold 190 pins and is working on a new design for next year.
A familiar face at Village Hall, Gino Piscopo and Jake Van Wolvelder took part in Tuesday night's event.
Gino was given the moniker of "junior mayor" by Mayor Craig Johnson after he appeared at a village board meeting in March. Gino and Jake shaved their heads for childhood cancer research raising $1,800 between them.
The Grove Jr. High School Key Club donated 750 hours to help teachers both in their own school and in the elementary schools.
Elk Grove High School Student Council collected 16,000 cans in a canned food drive, a record collection at the school.
The can drive was to culminate with a faculty vs. student sporting event. The game was postponed on account of rain but many came to the event and donated cans.
Other activities included donation of mosquito nets to send overseas to help stop malaria, sending supplies such as socks and other necessities to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, 1,100 shoes sent to Africa and locally, 16 blankets made by students at Grove Jr. High sent to a women's shelter in Aurora.
Johnson called up groups individually at the village board meeting last Tuesday, May 13.
Groups and individuals explained their projects to the board and audience and posed for pictures with the mayor.
---Tom Robb