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Support Fox Valley organizations on Giving Tuesday Nov. 28

Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, is the day when individuals and corporations open their hearts and wallets on a national day devoted to giving back. It is a movement to create an international day of giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. To find participating organizations, visit www.ilgive.com.

Local entities participating in this giving moment supporting and championing causes include:

• Water Street Studios' goal is to raise $10,000 for education and outreach programs. It would enable Batavia art gallery to employ professional and emerging art instructors; purchase supplies for art classes; and continue to offer the highest quality education and outreach programs both at Water Street Studios and through local partnerships in the community.

• Lazarus House in St. Charles is celebrating 20 years of service and needs your help to reach their goal of $20,000 for their "Huge Hand Up." Lazarus House has helped our neighbors in crisis by providing safe shelter, food, education and skills for life for an average of 320 people per year. The emergency shelter, center for transitional living and outreach program serves men, women and children from Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and western rural Kane County, including Elburn and Sugar Grove. For more information about the Huge Hand Up, call Darlene at (630) 587-2144 or visit www.lazarushouse.net. Lazarus House offers tours and is always looking for volunteers.

• Soiree Lyrique has matching partners for Giving Tuesday. The Palmer Foundation and Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation will match your contribution dollar for dollar up to $12,000 to be used for the spring production of "Tosca" with Tetyana Torzhevska.

• The Association for Individual Development is taking part in Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. Donate online at www.The-Association.org on that date and the Grand Victoria Foundation, Dunham Foundation and Coleman Foundation will match all online donations.

All donations must be made using our online donation form and all donations must be made by 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. For 56 years, AID has provided services to individuals who have developmental, physical and/or mental disabilities, those who have suffered a trauma or those at risk. None of this would be possible without the support of our community.

• In 2008, the 301 Central Education Foundation was established to provide supplementary learning opportunities to students by involving community members and businesses. It has evolved into an organization that assists the school district in large projects that impact the students as a whole. Its mission is to prepare students for College and Career Readiness. They are supporting the following projects: Incubator Edu, Mobile Maker and Vet Tech/Ag program going forward.

• The A+ Foundation for West Aurora Schools supports and promotes educational, cultural and charitable programs for the students, staff, and alumni of West Aurora District 129. he foundation provides this support through grants, programs, and scholarships to enhance lifelong learning opportunities. Its vision is to enrich the curriculum, inspire excellence in students and staff, expand opportunities for community involvement, and foster alumni connections.

• Albums of Hope donates pocket-size albums to cancer patients, their caregivers, and others facing serious illnesses. Each album is filled with uplifting quotes and photos, providing a lift of spirit whenever needed. They donate the albums to cancer treatment and support centers, lodging providers, and at special events. Some of our recipient organizations include: Rush University Cancer Center, Good Shepherd Hospital, Gaver's Breast Center, Gilda's Club, Ronald McDonald Houses, Illinois Medical District Guest House, St. Baldrick's, Imerman's Angels, and Relay For Life events. In just six years, they have donated over 10,000 albums.

• The Alignment Collaborative for Education is a collective impact organization partnered by business and the U-46 community. It is solution design driven to respond to the need for a qualified workforce eager to live and work in the U-46 community. Working in partnership with Elgin Area School District U-46, it focuses on growing greater student resources through collective impact for: Career and Educational Pathways; Trauma Informed Care; and Early Education. The benefits of the Alignment model are: increased economic development; greater return on investment; higher quality services; and enhanced capacity.

• Every day, the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin serves more than 500 kids in the community, living below the federal poverty line. It is the mission of the club to ensure all these kids forge great futures by having a safe place to go to where they can build confidence and achieve success.

• Breaking Free's goal is to help individuals and families live in a community where everyone reaches their full potential. To reach that goal, they focus on building strong relationships and foundations, as well as rebuilding those affected by substance abuse and other life challenges. They have been providing care to 15,000 people annually and have been enriching the lives of individuals and families for 40 years.

• Cal's Angels mission is to help children with cancer by granting wishes, raising awareness and funding research. Over the last 10 years, they have helped thousands of kids. Your donation will make more wishes come true and further research efforts to find a cure.

• CASA Kane County was established in 1988 by concerned citizens, child welfare professionals and court personnel in response to concerns that the rights and needs of abused and neglected children were not being adequately addressed in court. Volunteers are appointed to all child abuse and neglect cases in juvenile court as well as all private guardianship cases involving minors in probate court. Today there are approximately 281 CASA volunteers who support and represent the best interests of over 587 probate and abused/neglected children within the Kane County juvenile court system.

• Chamber Music on the Fox, currently in its fourth season, is a classical chamber music series serving Elgin and the greater Fox Valley region. The 2017-18 season includes performances by Rachel Barton Pine, Arcomusical, Kaia Quartet, Elgin Master Chorale's Chamber Singers, Yana Reznik, and many more great artists. Its mission is to present engaging, enriching, and immersive performances and cultural experiences to Elgin and Fox Valley residents and enhance and enrich the cultural offerings of the area while maintaining the highest caliber of artistic excellence

• Centro de Información is a nonprofit, Hispanic, social-service agency founded in 1972. Every year, they help more than 15,000 predominantly low-income Hispanic immigrants, providing bilingual advocacy, information and referrals, immigration and naturalization services, parenting skills training, community education, and youth programs. It is the only Hispanic social-service agency in Kane County, and has been a known community resource for over 45 years.

• Children's Theatre of Elgin, celebrating its 30th season, provides young artists and the community dynamic, family-friendly theatrical experiences. It is for children and youth in second grade through ninth grade. Its affiliate Fox Valley Theatre Company was added in 1993 as a more advanced troupe to serve older youth in 9th grade through 20 years.

• Dominican Literacy Center is a nonprofit built to inspire and motivate. Women come to the center to learn English through the help of volunteer tutors. The center also holds classes for men and women seeking U.S. citizenship.

• Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley joins in Giving Tuesday. Double the impact of your online donation. The Grand Victoria Foundation will match all eligible donations to Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley.

• Elgin Academy offers small-scaled classrooms from preschool through 12th grade. A gift to the Hilltopper Fund will enhance the program in countless ways and help deepen the classroom experience and enrich our student's lives outside the classroom.

• For 30 years, the Elgin History Museum has been a resource for the community. Donate today to preserve Elgin's heritage through the rehab of the Nancy Kimball Cobblestone House or telling the story of Elgin's past and future through the Dairies to Prairies documentary and traveling exhibit. Or, donate in support of other programs and services that help a wide array of people.

• The Elgin Master Chorale has been serving the Elgin area for over 70 years. It provides public performances of some of the largest and most beloved music of choral repertoire. They also serve the community through appearances at community events, a yearly free-of-charge Educational Connections concert event, and a Children's Chorus.

• Elgin Math & Science Academy's mission is to help children of all backgrounds to discover their ability, values, passion and responsibility in an environment that offers adventure and the unexpected.

• Elgin Partnership for Early Learning enhances the community by providing resources and support to prepare children for kindergarten and success in life. The donation will be matched by Grand Victoria Foundation through Nov. 28.

• Elgin Students Rugby Football Club Inc. is established to help raise awareness of the sport of Rugby, to advance the process of creating a new sporting opportunity for our community's youth, to help foster a sense of belonging among those youth, to instill leadership skills, and to foster physical fitness and camaraderie.

• Elgin Symphony Orchestra is asking you to be part of its mission to bring the gift of music to students, patients, patrons, and the community. Tickets sales cover only 40 percent of the costs, leaving the remainder to fundraising efforts. They apply for grants, create corporate sponsorships, and look to individuals who appreciate the powerful gift of music. The first $4,000 will be matched by the Grand Victoria Foundation.

• The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra is nationally recognized for providing an engaging musical experience where students develop artistically and technically and a comprehensive learning environment which promotes curiosity and imagination; critical thinking and collaboration. In the 2017-18 season, EYSO will educate nearly 400 students from throughout the Chicago area.

• Ecker Center for Mental Health helps economically disadvantaged adults and children with mental illness by providing an array of outpatient mental health services including crisis, therapy, and psychiatry.

• Elderday Center in Batavia needs your support to provide senior care and caregiver support. For over 27 years, Elderday Center has been providing quality adult day care services to our local seniors and their caregivers, helping them stay in their homes and their community as long as possible.

• Equine Dreams has been providing free Therapeutic Equine Assisted Activities children and adults with special needs each week. They are fundraising now for the build out of the arena addition to include electric, water, doors, lights, stalls, tack room, viewing room, climate controlled Horse Simulator room, handicapped accessible concrete horse wash stall and an indoor mounting area for our horses and students.

• Family Service Association of Greater Elgin Area in the last fiscal year offered more than 1,600 hours of face to face contact with over 3,000 clients. Children and teens whose inability to function at home, in school, or in the community at large may be in need of behavioral health services.

• Fine Line Creative Arts Center offers year round art classes for beginner through advanced levels. They host 5-6 yearly workshops taught by nationally and internationally recognized artists. They offer team building and custom classes for individual and groups.

• Flying For Hope is an organization that provides financial assistance to purchase flights, bus, or train tickets for individuals or families in a crisis situation so they may get to their loved one immediately.

• Food For Greater Elgin is about food and so much more, including dignity, hope and stability. Nearly 6,000 individuals - more than half of whom are children and seniors - who utilize our services each month. Volunteers give 1,700 hours a month to make our programs possible; and outreach services provided on site by the 18 community partners.

• Fox Valley Hands of Hope offers a place for everyone to come together and share their experience, develop coping strategies and heal.

• Fox Valley Montessori School strives to follow the Montessori philosophy by offering real plates, glasses, and silverware to our students for snacks and meals. They need your help repairing one dishwasher and permanently installing another one in the kitchen. They will use the money to also buy the cabling and pay for the installation of the new devices.

• Fox Valley Park Foundation provides funds for underserved to attend Fox Valley Park District events. In a goal for social equity scholarships allow many youth to attend summer camps, activities in recreation, art and culture.

• Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation strives to remove all barriers that may inhibit people with disabilities from achieving maximum enjoyment, satisfaction, and fulfillment in their lives.

• Fox Valley United Way works for the health, education and financial stability of every person in the community.

• The Friends of Aurora's After-School Programs provides low-income families easy access to the many books it takes for students to improve their reading.

• Friends of the Fox River's mission is to preserve, restore and protect the Fox River Watershed's resources by connecting people with nature through education, research, restoration and advocacy.

• The GardenWorks Project provides low-income families with all of the resources needed to grow food at home. They teach families how to sow, maintain and harvest from their gardens from early spring to late fall.

• Greater Elgin Family Care Center has expanded to serve over 47 municipalities in Illinois. They provide comprehensive, patient-centered medical, dental and behavioral health care to almost 47,000 patients annually through 9 full-time Health Center locations and many local schools.

• Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois teaches girls to take action for themselves, their communities and the world.

• Janus Theatre Company creates intimate theatrical experiences bringing the actor and audience closer together. It is dedicated to producing new and classic works. Additionally, Janus Theatre provides educational opportunities by presenting new versions of Shakespeare's plays to actors and students, young and old.

• The Kane County Child Advocacy Center was established in 1994 to ensure the coordination and cooperation in the investigation of cases of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse of children. It investigates over 300 cases of child sexual abuse each year.

• Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley helps adults read, write, speak, and understand English by matching them with trained volunteer tutors one to one. As a result, they become better workers, more involved parents, and engaged community members.

• Lazarus House's mission is to offer guests connected to the communities who are homeless or in need hope for the future by providing hospitality, food, safe shelter and education.

• Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry stocks shelves with healthy food each week.

• Marklund Charities makes everyday life possible for individuals with profound disabilities.

• Marmion Academy continues to excel in its mission of education young men with a strong focus on spirituality, academics and leadership. The ongoing goal of the monks is to provide an affordable, faith-based education to every student who seeks it.

• Marquee Youth Stage (MyStage), a 501(c)3 performing arts organization, has produced hundreds of plays, musicals, improv shows, performing arts classes and workshops in the Fox Valley area since 2011.

• Mutual Ground is the sole provider of comprehensive victim services in Southern Kane and all of Kendall County with locations in Aurora, Batavia and Yorkville.

• New Life Transitions helps the re-entry of ex-incarcerated or ex-prisoners and helps to reduce homelessness and recidivism.

• Northern Illinois Food Bank vision is for no one to be hungry in Northern Illinois - and we need your help now to make that vision a reality. The O'Bryan Foundation has agreed to match gifts made on Giving Tuesday (Nov. 28) up to a total of $25,000. Epsilon, Conversant and the Triolo family have agreed to match gifts up to a total of $200,000 before Dec. 31.

• Oak Crest is a nonprofit organization; all donations are 100 percent tax deductible. It is a private organization with on outside sponsorship, affiliations or funding, fully self sustaining.

• Paramount Theatre has been the "Gem of Aurora" since its opening in 1931. Support for the Broadway Series is essential in allowing the theater to continue to produce award-winning Broadway Musicals for years to come. Ticket sales only cover 70 percent of the overall cost.

• PADS of Elgin helps homeless men, women and children in crisis navigate through an uncertain time.

• Quad County Urban League was founded in 1975 by a diverse group of local leaders responding to the absence of a community based organization to address the needs for academic achievement, job placement and training, equal access to employment, housing and cultural enrichment for low-income and displaced citizens.

• Rebuilding Together-Hesed House's mission is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and give people the chance to hope again.

• St. Charles Singers' mission is to perform, promote and preserve fine choral music. They seek your support for three worthy endeavors: The Mozart Journey, a seven year, 17 concert series to perform and record the entire known volume of Mozart's sacred choral works; Maestro's Fund for Visionary Programming; and the Palmer Foundation Match up to $5,000.

• Senior Services Associates Inc. has served older adults, people with disabilities and their families since 1973.

• SciTech Hands On Museum day kicks off its 30th year Nov. 28. It is the annual fundraiser, so they will be open for 30 hours of STEAM Education from 6 p.m. Nov. 27 to midnight Nov. 28. Individuals that donate $30 or more will receive admission for 4 people to the museum, VIP access pass to all 30 hours of activities and refreshments throughout the day. Bring your donation receipt to receive your VIP pass!

• Simply Destinee is a youth inspired Dance Team that promotes suicide awareness in memory of Destinee A. Oliva. It is a 501(c)3, self-funded, nonprofit organization. It is dedicated to caring for Aurora's youth and inspiring positive development in their lives, families, and the community, helping overcome everyday challenges.

• Steel Beam Theatre provides residents and nonresidents alike nearly year-round entertainment in a unique venue. In addition to the professional programming, they offer a complete season of youth theater performed by and for children, classes, and workshops geared for ages 5-18. The venue is rentable to other community groups for meetings, conferences, and performance.

• Sunnymere is a senior living community serving the Aurora and surrounding areas since 1939. They strive to provide our residents with charming accommodations, caring staff and affordable rates. This fundraiser will help to provide more activities that will enrich our residents lives.

• Three Fires Boy Scouts of America hosts breakfast on #GivingTuesday at the Lisle Sheraton to hear about the mission of the Boy Scouts of America. Three Fires Council serves over 14,128 youth in the communities. Register to attend the Patron's Breakfast. Or make your donation online on or before Nov. 28.

• Tri City Health Partnership is the only free medical and dental clinic serving low-income, uninsured residents of Central Kane County. A small, dedicated staff is supported by over 100 volunteer medical and dental professionals to provide quality care to those who have no other options.

• United Way of Elgin fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community.

• VNA Health Care provides low-cost dental services to the community. Each dental exam includes an oral cancer screening, preventive cleaning and full set of X-rays.

• Wayside Cross Ministries provides meals, safe housing, education and life-skills training. As Christmas approaches, many of the people we serve are without families or friends to celebrate with. Christmas dinner at Wayside is a special blessing to them; they look forward to a nice, hot meal and the fellowship this brings. Your gift of $2.25 provides a Christmas dinner for someone with little to keep them going. With your support, together, we will see many lives changed.

• Well Child Center is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through education, counseling and services in the areas of childhood nutrition and pediatric dental health. They serve over 13,000 local children annually.

• YWCA Elgin believes that education is the key to breaking that cycle. All 637 students at the YWCA Elgin, from preschoolers to adults, are given the tools, guidance and encouragement needed to help them achieve their goals. The Grand Victoria Foundation will match the first $4,000 in donations.

• The YWCA Aurora has been serving the community for 124 years. They believe its mission impact framework provides: racial justice and advocacy for the community at large; empowerment and economic advancement for youth and adults; and health and safety.

• The Youth Leadership Academy is a nonprofit organization that has been serving youth and their families for more than 20 years. Our mission is to engage and inspire youth to maximize their potential to become successful community leaders through the access and responsible utilization of postsecondary education

Other participating organizations are: Bethlehem Lutheran Child Development Center, Bridging The Gap of Aurora Inc., Community Crisis Center Inc., Encore Theatre Productions, Elgin Public Museum, Family Alliance Inc., Heartland Voices, The Literacy Connection, Ivy Academy of Early Learning, Open Door Health Center, Pioneer Center for Human Services, South Elgin Food Pantry, Summit School, Teen Writers and Artists Project, TriCity Family Services and Triple Threat Mentoring.

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