Elburn fundraiser to benefit community center

The Elburn and Countryside Community Center needs some exterior work.

So organizers of a fundraiser are asking area women if they would like to pay for some for themselves.

"Pamper Yourself Pink" will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the community center at 525 N. Main St.

The cost of $35 includes hairstyling, facials, chair massages and entertainment, as well as chocolate tasting and a light brunch. Women can even learn the best way to fit for an undergarment and how to use art to reduce stress.

"We usually don't have fundraisers, but we need a new roof," said office manager Laurie Studdard.

The familiar two-story building on Main Street opened in 1929 as Elburn High School. At some point, it became an elementary school. It closed in 1984 when all four elementary schools in the Kaneland school district were consolidated into Kaneland Middle School.

A group of Elburn residents was determined not to lose the structure, so they formed a board and a nonprofit organization to maintain it. The building has been used as a community center since 1987. It operates through revenue from tenants, registrations for programs and donations.

The center offers classes for toddlers through adults in ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and other dances through the Blackberry School of Dance. Tenants include a yoga instructor, a printing business, a preschool, a chiropractor and a music studio. Jeannette Rehmel teaches art classes there and is planning on opening a gallery of hand-crafted items.

The Elburn Historical Society and the Elburn Food Pantry receive free space as part of the center's nonprofit work and the visiting nurses set up flu clinics there during flu season.

"It's a useful building," said Clara Stonecipher, 91, treasurer of the center's volunteer board of trustees since 1987. "I have to know where every dollar goes. We try to be economical but it's an old building and it can get scary. We see that the rooms get painted and the kitchen has been renovated."

Stonecipher has a vested interest in the building. She went to high school there from 1930 to 1934. It was in those halls that she met her first husband Richard Hardt, with whom she had three children.

"I enjoyed going to high school there," she added. "You can't take me away from Elburn."

Regan Jancauskas, an instructor at Countryside Music, which is at the center, will play the violin during the fundraiser. The event also includes a silent auction and prizes. Every guest will receive a goody bag.

Tickets may be purchased at the community center. The first 24 women to register receive a free T-shirt.

Call the center at (630) 365-6655 between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. for information.