Wonderland of Lights to help Shelter Inc.

The third annual Clearbrook's Wonderland of Lights, held at Arlington Park Racecourse, will also help Shelter Inc., a child welfare agency based in Arlington Heights.

Shelter is participating in the Wonderland of Lights' Community Days through Jan. 1. For every passenger car that presents a voucher at the admission gate on Community Days -- 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday -- Shelter will receive $2 of every $10 admission.

Vouchers are available online at shelter-inc.org, and at both Shelter Inc. thrift shops, 622-626 S. Roselle Road in Schaumburg, and 300K S. McLean Blvd. in Elgin.

The 1.6-mile show features millions of lights and hundreds of animated holiday scenes. The winter wonderland adventure includes crowd favorites such as the Twelve Days of Christmas, the Night Before Christmas, Reindeer Flight School, Holiday Fairy Tale Lane, the Enchanted Fountain and Victorian Holidays.

"We are honored to be a part of the 2007 Wonderland of Lights," said Carol Brown, Shelter's director of development. "It has become a holiday tradition in the Northwest suburbs in a relatively short period of time. Most important to Shelter, though, is that the funds raised from the Wonderland of Lights will help us provide services for abused and neglected children and first-time parents in our community."

All proceeds from Community Days vouchers will benefit Shelter Inc., the only nonprofit, licensed, and accredited child welfare agency in the Northwest suburbs providing community-based emergency and longer-term care and housing for children and adolescents, ages birth through 17.

Shelter's programs are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Children and adolescents who are abused, neglected, dependent or in need of supervision are cared for in Shelter's Emergency, Traditional and Home-of-Relative Foster Care Programs, and in three Group Homes, which include the emergency Boys Group Home in Palatine, the Jennings Group Home for Girls in Schaumburg, and the longer-term, transitional Older Adolescent Group Home in Arlington Heights for boys, ages 16 to 17.

Shelter also provides the only Healthy Families program in the Northwest suburbs, a home visitation and parenting education program for first-time parents.

For more information call (847) 590-6188, ext. 21, or visit online at shelter-inc.org.