DuPage society calendar

• Submit events at least two weeks in advance to Melynda Findlay via e-mail, mfindlay@dailyherald.com or by fax, (630) 955-0895.

Now through Wednesday

• Glenbard North High School's student council is collecting new toys through Wednesday at the school, 990 N. Kuhn Road, Carol Stream. Proceeds will be donated to the Humanitarian Service Project and distributed to needy children in Carol Stream and surrounding communities. For details, call Rita Guritz at (630) 653-7000, ext. 3870.

Now through Thursday

• The Addison Community Switchboard needs volunteers to help sort food and gift donations for its Christmas Program from noon to 8 p.m. daily through Thursday at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church, 960 W. Army Trail Blvd., Addison. Local families, seniors and children will receive food, gifts and household items through the program. The Addison Community Switchboard is a not-for-profit organization that provides food, clothing, emergency financial assistance and resource referrals to needy families in Addison Township. To volunteer or to make a donation, call (630) 628-2698 or (630) 628-2699.

• The sixth annual Holiday Wrap-A-Thon to help the homeless will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today through Thursday in the Student Resource Center and Berg Instructional Center Vendor Walkway at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Proceeds will benefit DuPage Public Action to Deliver Shelter. Prices to have presents wrapped range from $2 to $5, depending on the size of the package. Vendors also will be selling a variety of gifts. For details, call Lynne Grezek at (630) 942-3250 or e-mail grezek@cod.edu.

Now through Friday

• The Humanitarian Service Project is seeking help to deliver gifts for its annual Christmas project. Volunteers are needed to deliver gifts and groceries to families between 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Thursday and to senior citizens between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Volunteers must be high-school age or older. The Humanitarian Service Project is a Carol Stream-based, not-for-profit organization that helps needy children, families and senior citizens in DuPage and Kane counties. For details, call (630) 221-8340, e-mail hsp@humanitarianservice.org or visit www.humanitarianservice.org.

• North Central College's student-run radio station, WONC-FM 89.1, is collecting toys and nonperishable food for the Humanitarian Service Project, a Carol Stream-based not-for-profit organization that assists needy residents of DuPage and Kane counties. Donations will be accepted until Friday at the radio station, on the college campus in Oliver Hall, 232 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Items may be left inside the door and the front room. For information, call Carrie Gerdes at (630) 637-5971 or visit www.northcentralcollege.edu.

Now through Saturday

• The Lombard Fire Department is accepting new, unwrapped toys at Fire Station 1, 50 E. St. Charles Road and Station 2, 2020 S. Highland Ave. The drive, spearheaded by firefighter/paramedic Mike Heimbecker, will benefit radio personality Dick Biondi's annual toy drive. Toys will be loaded onto a fire truck for the village's annual holiday parade Saturday. Donations of toys, cash and gift cards also will be accepted and added to the truck's load along the parade route. After the parade, they'll be delivered to Biondi at Yorktown Center. The parade, which includes an appearance by Santa, steps off at Main and Grove streets, then proceeds south on Main to Glenbard East High School. Biondi and WZZN-94.7 FM will be broadcasting live from 10 a.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday. Mall doors will be left open during that time so donations may be dropped off. Recipients for Biondi's drive this year include the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network, a not-for-profit organization that serves abused and needy children, and the Lombard/Villa Park Food Pantry. For details, visit www.villageoflombard.org, www.yorktowncenter.com or www.947trueoldies.com.

Today

• Itasca's Night with Santa begins at 5:30 p.m. today with a parade that steps off from Franzen School, 730 Catalpa Ave. The parade will proceed along Bryn Mawr Avenue to Walnut Street, then south to the village hall, 550 W. Irving Park Road. After the parade, activities will include trolley rides, holiday crafts, caroling, snacks and a commemorative ornament for every family while supplies last. The Itasca Police Department also will be collecting new toys, mittens and hats for needy children. For details call Officer Rick Brogan at (630) 228-5707.

• The DuPage Convalescent Center's holiday bazaar will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the center, 400 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. The event will include a book fair, as well as crafts, a bake sale and luminaria sale. Luminarias may be purchased to honor or remember a loved one. They will be placed around the center's gazebo on Dec. 23 and remain lit until after Christmas. Proceeds from the bazaar will benefit the Resident Recreation Fund. For details, call Dolores Garlic at (630) 784-4249.

Thursday

• The Carol Stream Rotary will present a concert by Brazilian pianist Rodrigo "Rod" Therezo at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Glenbard North High School, 990 N. Kuhn Road, Carol Stream. Admission is free with the donation of a winter clothing item, which will be donated to a local charity. For details, call (630) 665-3325.

Sunday

• Gavin Coyle will perform his annual Christmas Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday at Wheaton Warrenville South High School, 1920 S. Wiesbrook Road, Wheaton. Coyle's concert will include seasonal music from both the United States and his native Ireland. Tickets cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Proceeds benefit The People's Resource Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides food, clothing, emergency assistance and education to needy residents of DuPage County. For details, call (630) 942-4000 or visit www.peoplesrc.org.

• The Singing Men of Oak Brook's annual Christmas concert, "Majesty in Bethlehem" will be at 3 p.m. Dec. 16 at Christ Church of Oak Brook, York Road and 31st Street, Oak Brook. Guest artists will include the Chicago Brass Band, violin and viola player Charles Gray of Wheaton and the Heritage Singers. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Christian men's chorus music ministries. For ticket information, call (630) 968-6468 or visit www.thesingingmenob.org.

Dec. 25

• Lazarus House will host a free community Christmas brunch at noon Dec. 25 at Free Methodist Church, 214 Walnut St., St. Charles. Those who attend may bring any type of dish to pass. It should be in a disposable container by 11:30 a.m. and ready to serve by noon. Donations of cash and gift cards also are needed. Lazarus House provides shelter, emergency financial assistance and referral services for the homeless and for those at risk of being homeless in St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and western Kane County. For information, call Lazarus House at (630) 587-2144.

Through the holidays

• The Hinsdale Humane Society's holiday cards now are available at the shelter, 22 N. Elm St., Hinsdale. The cards were designed by artists Mary Badenhop. The cost is $12 for a set of 12 cards and envelopes. Proceeds benefit animals living at the shelter. Cards will be sold during regular shelter hours, which are 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. To view design choices, visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org. For information, call (630) 323-5630.

Ongoing needs

• VFW Post 2801 in Villa Park is seeking donations to make its washrooms accessible to handicapped veterans. For information about the project, call the post at (630) 834-8191.

• Bridge Communities, a not-for-profit agency that helps homeless families in DuPage County find permanent housing, is seeking donations of used cars. In most cases, cars donated to Bridge Communities are given to the families it serves, to help them move toward self-sufficiency. The agency, which is based in Glen Ellyn, aims to provide transitional housing to homeless families in DuPage County through partnerships with faith- and community-based organizations. During the past 18 years, Bridge Communities has helped more than 1,500 people cross the bridge from homelessness to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. For details, call Mark Milligan at (630) 545-0610, ext. 10 or visit www.bridgecommunities.org.