Fair to help you, school go green

Fifth-grader Kate Schneider is saving the world -- one energy-saving light bulb at a time.

Schneider e-mailed me about an International Fair she's participating in at Camelot Park on Saturday to raise money to buy recycling bins and energy-saving light bulbs for her school, J.W. Riley Elementary School in Arlington Heights. The fair starts at 2:30 p.m.

At the fair, Schneider and her friends will set up booths each featuring a country. Guests will visit the stations and hear the kids share information on their countries, and then they will get their passports stamped. Passport are $5 each. Schneider and her friends will also be selling energy-saving light bulbs and selling snacks and drinks.

"It will be a fun way to help save the world from global warming," e-mailed 9-year-old Schneider.

Joshua's Run returns: The 2nd Annual "Joshua's Run for a Reason" will be Sept. 23 and will feature a 5K run, a 2K family fitness walk, and a kids' quarter-mile dash followed by children's games and entertainment.

The event honors Rob and Diane Burda's son, Josh, who died inexplicably at 20 months during a nap in March 2004. Because of Joshua's age, sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS was ruled out. It took months, but Diane and Rob were eventually told Joshua died from sudden unexplained death in childhood or SUDC.

Last year, the run raised $25,000 for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Program, which offers support for families and sponsors research to find a cause for SUDC.

This year, the run and walk will start at Miner School, 11001 W. Miner St. with the run starting at 8 a.m. followed by the walk at 8:15 a.m. The children's quarter-mile dash will start at 9 a.m., starting and ending at Recreation Park. After the run, there will be a children's carnival with refreshments, entertainment, face painting, about a dozen games with prizes. There will also be a "mailbox to heaven" station to make cards for Josh.

Adult and child participants can register by going to www.sudc.org and clicking on the "Joshua's Run for a Reason" link. You also can register the day of the race starting at 7 a.m. Registration costs $20 and includes T-shirts in adult and kid sizes. After Wednesday, registration fees will increase to $25. Donations also can be made while visiting the Web site.