North vandal no match for Wal-Mart
Life at St. Charles North High School just wasn't the same after a sign welcoming students, teachers and visitors was blown to bits.
But now, thanks in part to Wal-Mart, things are getting back to normal. "It's kind of like we have a home again," says Principal Kim Zupec.
Last week, a new electronic sign went up just west of the corner of Red Gate Road and Route 31, at the school entrance, to replace one that went kablooey in September -- the likely victim of a renegade fireworks vandal.
Superintendent Don Schlomann said the world's largest retailer kicked in $5,000 for the new sign after hearing of the vandalism.
What's more notable, Schlomann said, is the school never even approached the local Wal-Mart, at 105 Smith Road, about a donation.
"They saw it on the news that the sign blew up and called me and said, 'How can we help?'" he said. "It ended up being a great deal for us."
The original sign, valued at $23,000, was donated in 2003 by North's first graduating class and, for four years, it flashed announcements and greetings to visitors. But then, in September, a vandal used "some type of explosive device" -- likely fireworks, according to police reports -- to blow it up, leaving dangling wires and shards of plastic in place of tidings and to-dos.
No arrests were made, and life went on. But, "Everyone just knew something was missing," Zupec said. Then came Wal-Mart's offer.
Insurance covered all but $10,000 of the cost of putting up a replacement. So Wal-Mart chipped in half, while District 303 found the rest in its contingency budget.
The new sign went up last Wednesday -- to the delight of the principal and others.
"This one's almost like an exact replica," Zupec said. "We're very grateful for our community support and Wal-Mart's support."
Target gives too: As long as we're on the topic of corporate goodwill, it's appropriate to thank Target, too.
The Wal-Mart rival also expressed generosity on the local front this holiday season in the form of a $3,000 donation to Lazarus House, a transitional housing shelter.
The grant will fund a weekly support group for homeless children across the Tri-Cities. The program gives homeless youths a safe forum for them to express their fears and anxieties, as well as hear positive reinforcement.
"We are so grateful to Target for their support to our children," said Lazarus House Executive Director Darlene Marcusson in a news release. "This funding will help keep the group going for some time to come."
Parade winners: Lastly, in a final round of back-patting, let's give kudos to the award-winners from this year's Electric Christmas Parade.
The Downtown St. Charles Partnership announced the following float builders as the best of the Nov. 24 event:
• Girl Scout Troop 675 took first place in the children's division, with Anderson Elementary School and Cub Scout Pack 152 following in second and third places, respectively.
• Fox River Estates grabbed the first place award in the not-for-profit category, followed by the Chicagoland Corvette Club and Assembly of God Christian Center.
• LRM Concrete won first place in the business competition. ART by Joseph and Thunderbolt Roofing were the runners up.