Benefit auction: Fun for you, help for people in need
For those of us who have hunkered down in our homes and endured all that winter could throw at us, enticing thoughts of a vacation escape are flirting with our Midwestern pragmatism.
A nice little cruise sounds wonderful but it would involve planning, packing and getting time off from work.
There would be plane reservations to make and lots of other time-consuming preparations.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could do this with almost the snap of your fingers -- and all for a good cause?
This is a wish come true, because the Community Crisis Center will be holding its 21st Annual Benefit Auction on March 8 at the Q Center in St. Charles. This year's theme, "Cruisin' the Night Away," will feature the recreation of a cruise ship, including singing impersonators to greet guests. You will not even need to pack your Dramamine.
Guests will have the opportunity to bid on items such as a cruise for two to see the glaciers of Prince William Sound in Alaska (that trip will sound better in the summer); a football signed by Chicago Bear Devin Hester; two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the U.S.; get-aways to the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, DeSoto Hotel in Galena, private homes; and other travel.
Some more unique items up for bid include the opportunity to take a cooking lesson for two at Le Titi de Paris restaurant in Arlington Heights; signed items from the TV show "Lost"; a catered party from Rebecca Albert Catering; Lunch with Elgin Mayor Ed Schock; and for those realists among us -- a Toro snow blower and a home generator.
"There should be something for everyone this year: sports items, electronics, restaurant certificates, crafts, furniture," said Kari Sheppard, the crisis center event coordinator.
"Our auction co-chairs Dan and Karen Fox and the committee have worked really hard to make this a memorable event for the crisis center. For 33 years the center has provided shelter and 24-hour emergency services to people in crisis -- victims of family violence and sexual assault, homelessness and other crisis situations."
Tickets to the Community Crisis Center's "Cruisin'" Charity Auction are $100 per person and must be reserved in advance by Thursday. The silent auction and cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner. The live auction with Terry Dunning begins at 9 p.m. Call Sue Travis at (847) 697-2380 for more information, or log on to the crisis center Web site at www.crisiscenter.org.
Raffle tickets are also available in advance or at the event for $5 each or $25 for 6. Raffle prizes are $2008 first prize, $500 second prize.
Candidates' forum: The 14th Congressional District of Illinois covers a large and long portion of northern Illinois, stretching from our area westward and covering parts of Henry, Whiteside, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall and DuPage counties. In the 2000 census the population of this district was over 650,000. It was represented by Republican Dennis Hastert, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, since 1987. He resigned Nov. 26, 2007.
A special election will be held to replace Hastert on March 8. All of us living in Dundee, Rutland and Elgin Townships live in the 14th Congressional District and our usual polling places will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. that day. It is an important election and the winner will serve out the term vacated by Hastert until January 2009.
The Elgin Area League of Women Voters will be holding a forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Republican Jim Oberweis and Democrat Bill Foster, the candidates vying to fill out Hastert's term, have been invited to participate. The forum will be held at the Gail Borden Public Library, at 270 Grove St. in downtown Elgin.
The event is free and open to the public. All citizens of the district are encouraged to attend. As always, the candidates are invited to meet and greet the audience informally following the forum.
For more information about the forum, contact current Elgin League president Janet Poyner at 847-695-7122.