Interfaith prayer service today at First Congregational Church in Elgin

The Coalition of Religious Leaders and Christian, Jewish, Baha'i and Muslim communities are participating in an Interfaith Thanksgiving Prayer Service at 7 p.m. today at First Congregational Church in Elgin.

The Rev. Paris Donehoo will officiate and Neris Diaz-Cabello from Sherman Hospital will give the benediction.

The board and staff of PADS will be providing refreshments after the service, and the offering will be given to support the homeless in Elgin at PADS.

The church is at 256 E. Chicago St., and parking is available in the city lot between Highland and Division.

Chamber luncheon

The Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. This event reaches out to thank service clubs and organizations for their part in the combined commitment to family, neighbors and the city. Eighteen such community participants are invited this year.

This year for the first time, Jack and Marlene Shales are sponsors for the luncheon. Cheryl Wendt, chairwoman of the chamber board, will welcome all the attendees. The main speaker will be Floyd Brown, an on-air personality with WGN-TV and radio for 28 years.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling Catherine at the chamber at (847) 741-5660.

St. Joseph's dinner

For the 24th year, St. Joseph Catholic Church is sponsoring a community Thanksgiving dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The church is at 272 Division St. Last year 1,200 guests took part.

Volunteers are needed in a variety of roles. On Wednesday, volunteer coordinators Tina and Leo Ribordy need help setting up tables at 4:30 p.m. They also can use decorators, cooks and servers for the actual event. As always, help cleaning up on Friday will be appreciated.

If you, or someone you know, cannot get to the event, but would benefit by having the dinner delivered to the home, call Sharon McGill at (224) 587-3579.

Tickets are complimentary and are recommended for admittance. They can be picked up at the church rectory from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

To volunteer, call the Ribordys at (847) 697-7616 after 5 p.m. This is a great way to demonstrate your thanks for many gifts received!

Thankful thoughts

All week and all around town, I asked people what they were particularly thankful for in the community. Here's what they had to say:

JoAnn Armenta: "I am grateful that the Salvation Army takes care of the poorest of the poor in town. Their indoor soccer club is hugely popular and they have youth groups that turn energy into service: taking light bulbs out, etc."

John Cooper : "I am grateful to Toya Randall for all the good she does (through the Grand Victoria Foundation) in the community. Her gracious and humorous manner helps."

Joe Follrath: "I am glad to now live in Elgin and enjoy it!"

Jennifer Ford: "I love the peace, solitude and beauty of the Burnidge Forest Preserve."

Carol Gieske: "I appreciate the very generous nature of the community. People are supportive with volunteer time and financial generosity in a special way here in Elgin."

Dennis Hewitt: "I am very grateful to Reino Rivers, a junior at Jacobs High School, who needed an Eagle Scout project and led a drive for needed paper products at PADS. He mobilized three stores, his neighbors and his high school and provided two truckloads of paper goods."

Pat Linquist: "I'm grateful for the assistance for the First Congregational Church and the UCC for their assistance while I recovered from mental illness."

Sue McIntyre: "I appreciate the quick and kind response of Cherie Aschenbrenner, the elderly support officer in the Elgin Police Department. Within four hours, she had taken a personal interest and saw that an elderly person had what she needed."

Olga Pomella: "I appreciate the great youth programs at the Centre and the YMCA, as well as the afterschool program at St. Thomas More."

JoAnne Reynolds: "I am so glad that Dr. Sam has come to Elgin Community College as president."

Dick Robinson: "I am so glad we are getting our streets fixed up. Pat those politicians on the back for that."

Barry and Sybil Shore: "We appreciate the reduced weekend fares on Metra."

No one I asked turned me down. Because families have such personal things to be grateful for, I asked for a focus on town. Most everyone had a thought immediately. Some items are people, some places, and some things. It's just an attitude of gratitude.

Hope you and yours have a very happy Thanksgiving Day together.