Briefs: Blood drive in boys' honor

Residents are encouraged to donate blood from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today at Pheasant Ridge School in Glendale Heights in honor of two hospitalized boys. Vishv Patel, 7, and his 4-year-old brother, Om, suffered severe burns Nov. 18 in a fire police said their father intentionally set. "We wanted something good to come from this tragedy," said Arita Sego, a school social worker and blood drive leader. "These boys attend our school and are a part of our family. Donating blood to help others is our way to honor them." January is National Volunteer Blood Donor month. Donors must be 17, or 16 with parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. To schedule an appointment, call (847) 803-7943. Walk-ins are welcome. The school is at 43 E. Stevenson Drive, Glendale Heights.

Parent workshops offered

Area school districts are sponsoring a Parent University event from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 at Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave. Parent University is a one-day opportunity to attend workshops geared toward increasing parenting effectiveness. Terry Young will serve as keynote speaker, presenting "What signals are you sending?" beginning at 8:45 a.m. The presentation will address parenting factors that contribute to the development of a sense of entitlement in a child. Cost is $25 a person or $45 per household. The deadline to register has been extended until Friday. For details or to register call (630) 420-6465 or visit www.naperville203.org.

Dist. 203 offering tours

Naperville Unit District 203 is offering numerous open houses and tours Saturday as it prepares to ask taxpayers for $43 million to help fund $115 million in facility projects via a Feb. 5 referendum. Open houses will be from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday at Mill Street Elementary, 1300 N. Mill St., Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave., and the early childhood classrooms of Elmwood Elementary, 1024 Magnolia Lane. Naperville North will also be open from 8 to 9 a.m. Tours of Naperville Central will be given from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Deck work starts Tuesday

Construction of the 317-space Van Buren parking deck addition in Naperville will begin Tuesday. At this time, the 51-space surface parking lot adjacent the parking deck will be closed. The city anticipates the majority of the spaces within the existing Van Buren parking deck on the east side of Main Street between Benton and Van Buren avenues will remain open to the public during construction. The parking deck is slated for completion in summer 2008. The Water Street parking deck and the Nichols Library parking deck are slated to follow in subsequent years.

Art banner competition:

The West Chicago Cultural Arts Commission is inviting artists with a connection to the city to submit digital files of original art for consideration for the Downtown Art Banner competition. Submissions, which are welcome in all media, should reflect a "flowers" theme. Each winning design will be reproduced and featured in the 2008 West Chicago Outdoor Art Banner Exhibition. Entries must be received by Feb. 1. For details, visit the city's Web site at www.westchicago.org or call (630) 231-3376.