DuPage County in 60 seconds
Fall festival:
The DuPage Care Center and the DuPage Care Center Foundation will host its 50th annual Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 16, in the parking lot of the center, 400 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. The family-friendly event benefits the center's resident recreation fund, which helps provide residents with quality of life programs and services. The event features a classic car show, children's games, garage sale, book fair, craft sale, live music and a flea market. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, offering a chance to win prizes including homemade quilts, a barbecue basket, a foursome of golf at the 2018 DuPage Care Center Foundation Golf Outing and more. Apple slices, taffy apples and scarecrows will also be available for purchase. The event is open to the public and admission and parking are free, however, donations are accepted.
Energy bill help:
Starting Oct. 2, DuPage County will be accepting applications from residents seeking to participate in the annual Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. DuPage's Department of Community Services will accept winter heating applications, by appointment only, from seniors and people with disabilities. Beginning Nov. 1, applications also will be taken for households that have been disconnected and/or have children 5 and under. All other eligible households may begin applying on Dec. 1. Benefits are paid directly to the utilities on behalf of eligible households. A single-person household can qualify for the program with a monthly gross income of up to $1,508; a two-person household up to $2,030; and a family of four can earn up to $3,075. For more information, DuPage residents may call (630) 407-6500 or (800) 942-9412 (toll-free) or visit dupageco.org.
Donation for restoration:
St. Charles-based Clarke has donated $23,333 to the Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the district, for habitat restoration at Belleau Woods Forest Preserve in Wheaton, a rare high-quality woodlands in the county. The donation is part of the company's "One for Tomorrow" award program, which Clarke funds with 1 percent of revenues from its NextGen products and services developed to reduce the environmental footprint for mosquito control and aquatic habitat management. The money will protect native trees and plants at Belleau Woods by funding the removal of invasive or exotic plants such as honeysuckle and buckthorn. The preserve is located at Roosevelt and County Farm roads. The first phase of the project is expected to cost $42,000 and take two years to complete. Long-term efforts at the site will stabilize soils, reduce stormwater runoff and enhance the natural experience for visitors, officials said.