St. Charles kids collect socks for the homeless

The residents at Lazarus House in St. Charles and Hesed House in Aurora shouldn't be lacking for socks this year.

Richmond Intermediate School students Wyatt and Porter Snopko of St. Charles are making sure of that, hoping to top the 500 pairs they donated to the shelters in 2016 by carrying out their collection again this year.

“They came up with the idea last year when we were having a conversation about needs and wants,” Nicole Snopko said of her sons' sock collection project. “They had a moment of realizing how some people can't get their basic needs met and they felt it was kind of sad that some can't even get warm socks.

“They asked if they could buy for the shelters and ask others to help them, too,” she added. “It was totally their idea.”

To jump-start the process, the boys christened their efforts as “Snopko Socks.”

To spread the word, Wyatt, a 10-year-old fifth-grader and Porter, a 9-year-old fourth-grader, made presentations to their classes about the project and left donation boxes in the classrooms until winter break. They also spoke to their Scout troops.

A drop box was placed in front of the Snopko home and the boys encouraged their mom to talk it up on Facebook.

The sock collection starts on Thanksgiving Day and culminates in the delivery to the shelters on Saturday.

“They love collecting socks and last year they saw a group of kids who lived at the shelter and that made them really understand who they were helping,” Nicole said.

Most importantly, the boys are proud of the project and the help they receive from others and are hoping it can grow in the future.

Well, it has grown in one way. Nicole said the boys added new underwear to the collection this year.

Cheering champs:

It's fairly easy to find out when local sports teams do well in state or even national competitions. Those squads get plenty of press and Facebook time.

But cheerleaders work pretty hard as well to perfect their routines and build up stamina and strength. And that goes for young girls just starting out on cheer teams.

So it is, that we can't let the year slip away without acknowledging that the Tri-City Chargers 7U cheerleading team consisting of 14 first- and second-graders from the local area returned from a recent competition in Tampa, Fla., as national champions.

It was the first time coach Stephanie Ramey of Batavia had entered her team into the competition, and it swept through state qualifiers to reach the elite stage in Florida.

The girls came back with a large trophy, and championship jackets and rings.

“We didn't know what to expect since we had never competed at this level before,” said Melissa Palm, whose daughter competed. “But the girls practiced hard and were determined to give it their all.”

As for next year, Palm said coach Ramey “is already working on next year's routine.”

Get those wishes in:

There are just a few days left to visit Santa Claus at his little house at the corner of James and Third streets in Geneva. He'll be in his home away from home at that spot through Saturday, Dec. 23.

A lot of work from local businesses and organizations has kept Santa nice and cozy during his visits to Geneva each year. His house has been renovated a few times in the last 15 years.

So, it's down to the last few days to get those wishes on his list. Kids can visit Santa from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Through his own special magic, Santa will also be at his house from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the First Street Plaza in St. Charles.

It starts with a hike:

You know you are aging gracefully when the fear of having a headache from imbibing too much on New Year's Eve can be set into the archives like ancient history.

But to replace it with a hike on New Year's morning? I never saw that part coming.

But we've participated in this event quite a few times in the past, at least once or twice in bitter cold temperatures. And it was fun each time, regardless of how many layers of warm clothes we had to put on.

The New Year's Morning Hike hosted by the Kane County Forest Preserve will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1 in the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve.

Those ready for the hike and wanting to learn about winter plants and animal tracks and other facets of Mother Nature will gather at the Creek Bend Nature Center at the preserve along Dean Street in St. Charles prior to the walk.

The event is free, but advance registration is required at (630) 444-3190 or through email to programs@kaneforest.com.

dheun@sbcglobal.net