Aurora Cosmopolitan Club to celebrate 90th anniversary May 20
The Aurora Cosmopolitan Club will celebrate its 90th anniversary from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Tanner House museum, 317 Cedar St. in Aurora. The public is invited. Admission is free. The event will feature tours of the museum, a hand-puppet show, raffle and refreshments hosted by club members.
A special guest will be 8-year-old Oswego resident Frankie Bush, and Stanley, his diabetic-alert dog. Frankie's parents are Deanna and Scott Bush. Deanna is a Cosmo member.
Information on diabetes, summer camp for diabetic children and Paws Saving Lives, which provides diabetic-alert dogs, will be available.
Founded in 1927, Aurora Cosmopolitan Club is known as the club that fights diabetes. The club contributes annually to the Cosmopolitan Diabetes Foundation; provides scholarships for children to attend diabetic camps; donates to University of Chicago Medicine-Kovler Diabetes Center; and sponsors two scholarships yearly for Waubonsee Community College students studying medical fields.
Additionally, the club supports a diabetic-alert dog for a local family, donated $10,000 to Aurora's Presence Mercy Medical Center center for diabetic wellness and has supported Aurora organizations including Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, Communities In Schools, Mutual Ground domestic violence shelter and Hesed House homeless shelter.
New members are welcome. Meetings are at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Oak Street Restaurant, 945 Oak St. in North Aurora. For information, call (630) 466-8099 or visit www.auroracosmo.org.
The Aurora club was founded on June 6, 1927, at the Masonic Temple in Aurora. Dedicated to unity, service and action, the club's first president was Frank Weisgerber and there were 65 charter members. Weisgerber, a civic leader, left $250,000 of his estate to the Edna Smith Home, now known as Mutual Ground Inc.
The current club includes 34 members led by LaVonne Hawking, president. Cosmopolitan means "citizen of the world." The Aurora Cosmopolitan Club is a nonprofit service organization that contributes to the community through charitable and volunteer service, with a focus preventing and finding a cure for diabetes.
The club has supported child-welfare projects, including camp scholarships for underprivileged children and, children's milk fund, Aurora Music Association, Jennings Terrace and restoration of Root Street Cemetery.
During World War ll, Cosmos promoted and sold war bonds. From 1954 through the 1970s, the club's project was the Aurora Historical Museum. Members maintained the building and grounds of the historic Tanner House on Cedar Street. The club continues to support the historical society.