From the clubs

Elgin Lions: "Brighten Someone's Day" is the theme for the Elgin Lions Club 24th annual Rose Day. Elgin Lion Club members will be selling one dozen long-stemmed roses for $15 by today for delivery on March 19-21.

This major fundraising event is a nice way to express your appreciation to a spouse, secretary, co-worker or special friend and help the Elgin Lions Eye Care Program "Brighten Someone's Day."

The roses are flown here shortly before they are to be delivered directly to the recipients in Elgin, South Elgin, East Dundee, West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Gilberts, Carpentersville and Elgin Area School District U-46 schools by Lion Club members or other people eager to help out the less fortunate in the community. To place an order, call (847) 289-4206 and leave your name and telephone number a club member will contact you to get delivery details and arrange for payment.

Proceeds will be used to continue the club's charitable works. The club provides eye care for Elgin elementary school students and people in the community who need it but have difficulty affording it. Nearly all of the money collected by the various fund raisers conducted by the club remains in the Elgin area for the benefit of local children and the elderly. For details, call Bruce Williamson at (847) 931-0017.

South Elgin Lions: South Elgin Lions Club will host a corned beef and cabbage dinner and dance on Friday at the club house, 500 Fulton St. The dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. and dancing will be from 7 to 11 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds of the dinner will be donated to the South Elgin Police Department for Special Olympics. Cost is $7 for corned beef or fish, and $3 for hog dogs. The meal does not include a beverage. Cash bar will be available. Cost for the dance only is $5. For details, call Kim Wascher or Angie DeLeon at (847) 888-9575.

Plato Center HEA: The Plato Center Unit of the Homemakers Association will meet at 1 p.m. Friday at the Plato Township Hall, 10N934 Rippburger Road. The cough pillow workshop, under the direction of Jackie Anderson, will be from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring your lunch. The unit wants to thank all the ladies who participate at this workshop. They bring in sewing machines and ironing boards to do these pillows. The unit was mentioned in Provena St. Joseph Hospital's "Auxiliary Update."

At the March meeting, the hostesses are Bonnie Read, Donna Peddy and Bev Kosel. The lesson is "Diabetes Prevention Diet" by Nancy Haire. They will start collecting membership dues of $13. There is still time to sign up for the tour, luncheon and craft on March 26 of Esther's Place in Big Rock.

At the February meeting, the lesson "Where do you want to live when you grow up?" was presented by Nancy Haire and Harriet Bradley. It was informative and offered many options about retirement communities. They also did the Fun Day centerpieces. Nancy Sisler came to show and presented a program on the greeting card workshop. Sisler is retiring but there is a group of women that are taking over under the direction of Sue Fredrick. The monies earned go to the Community Crisis Center. At the Fun Day/Fine Arts and Craft Show competition at St. Gall Church in Elburn, 15 members of the Plato Center Unit attended. They had an enjoyable day and the program about seasons and presented by Peg Lehman was wonderful. Also, a number of the unit members were lucky winning at the raffles of the centerpieces and 50/50.

For information on HEA and any of the 12 units in Kane County, call the extension office at (630) 584-6166 for more details. To be a guest at one of the meetings call Joan at (847) 931-8120.

Elgin Area Historical Society: Celebrate the re-opening of the Old Main History Museum from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday with three new exhibits. The admission for the open house is free.

"At the Ballet; Lisa Boehm's Nutcracker" includes costumes, pictures, programs and memories, all set in a Lisa Boehm ballet studio. The Lisa Boehm Nutcracker performed at Hemmens Auditorium in Elgin for 33 years.

A second exhibit, "100 years of Wing Park Golf" tells the story beginning with William Wing's donation of land to the city of Elgin for open space. The exhibit discusses the planning, development and completion of the golf course -- the oldest municipal course in Illinois. Visitors can try their hand at a putting green; perhaps sinking a hole in one. The third new exhibit, "Piano in the Parlor," showcases an Elgin-made Seybold piano and period sheet music set in a vintage parlor. Have yourself a seat in a rocking chair and enjoy the melodies of yesteryear.

A panel discussion with special guests that were a part of the Nutcracker performances will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the meeting room. Sandy Haggard made many of the Nutcracker costumes. Don Haefliger oversaw the stage production. Jean Keltner was a parent of a performer and participated in many aspects of the organization of the ballet, and Clare Ollayos was a performer for many years. They will relate the history and personal memories of the ballet, Lisa Boehm and Lisa's studio. The discussion will be moderated by Elgin Area Historical Society Vice President Maurice Dyer. Refreshments will be served following the program. The Old Main Museum at 360 Park St. in Elgin is open noon to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, March to December. General admission is $3 for adults and $1 for students, society members and children under 6 are free. For information, call (847) 742-4248 or visit www.elginhistory.org.

St. Charles Mothers Club: The St. Charles Mothers Club will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Hosanna! Lutheran Church, Randall and Red Gate roads in St. Charles. After a brief business meeting, Anisah will be giving the club a lesson in belly dancing. Any prospective member is invited to this meeting. Remember to dress comfortably. For information on the St. Charles Mothers Club, call (630) 217-MOMS or visit stcharlesmothersclub.org. For information on Anisah's belly dancing instruction, call (630) 373-9532.

Elgin Community Network: On Tuesday, the Elgin Community Network will continue its monthly Elgin Alive forums by highlighting workforce education and transportation in Elgin with a presentation by the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and Elgin Community College Community forums are scheduled the third Tuesday of every month from 6:30 to 9 p.m. through July at Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin.

Golden K Kiwanis: The Elgin Golden K Kiwanis will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. The program will be by Sylvia Garcia. Her topic will be on the Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley Region. Visitors are welcome. For details, call (847) 741-7176.

Fox Valley SHRM: On March 20, the Illinois Fox Valley Society of Human Resource Management welcomes Rich Woodrich and Jim Dickson.

They will journey into how a "Lean Implementation" can transform an organization from the ground up. Join them for an overview of "Lean Practices" and a few of the "Lean Tools," how to start your quest and what to expect once you do. The chapter meets on the third Thursday of the month for a luncheon with programs directed toward the human resource professional at Hennessy Restaurant, off Randall Road in Elgin. Registration is at 11:15 a.m. and the meeting adjourns at 1 p.m. Interested parties can call (847) 289-7170. Cost for members is $20 or $40 for non-members.

South Elgin Lions Club: The South Elgin Lions Club will give the first 200 bingo players a free chance to win $25,000 on March 22. Doors open at 5 p.m. at the South Elgin Lions Club, 500 Fulton St. in South Elgin. The bingo and raffle games start at 7 p.m. with an early bird game at 6:50 p.m. The first 200 players will receive a free card for a chance to win $25,000 on March 22 during bingo.

The club offers hands free computerized bingo play and two smoking breaks (a covered shelter is provided) during the evening. Food and beverages are available for purchase. A total of $2,200 will be paid out on all bingo games in addition to the raffle payouts. Some of the higher bingo and raffle payouts to a single winner include the following: a $250 Bullseye Bingo; $100 and a potential progressive payout of $4,200 on the Dual Action Game; $200 and a potential progressive payout of over $850 on the Red/White/Blue game to any single winner of a cover all in 46 numbers or less; $100 to $500 on the Lucky Lion game; and $500 Bingo Jackpot. For details, call Paul Groth or Linda Scham at (847) 888-9575.

Audubon Society: The Kane County Chapter of the Audubon Society meets for programs and activities.

On March 22, bird walk will be held at 8 a.m. at Crabtree Nature Center, 3 Stover Road, Barrington, See water fowl and winter holdouts. Go north on Route 59 to Route 72, go east on Route 72 less than a mile to Palatine Road, and go a half-mile to preserve entrance on the left. Meet in the main parking lot. For information, call Chris Madsen at (630) 377-0773. On March 29, a field trip/bird walk will be held at 7:30 a.m. at Lake Shabbona State Park. Meet at Peck Farm parking lot, Peck and Kaneville roads to car pool. For details, call Bob Andrini at (630) 584-8386. Or visit www. kanecountyaudubon.org.

Kane County Genealogical Society: The Kane County Genealogical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in the first-floor meeting room of the Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St., Geneva. The guest speaker will be Mike Kater, historian and genealogist, who will present "My Cherokee Ancestry." He will discuss the resources and techniques used in researching lineage of native Americans. All are welcome to attend. For details, visit www.rootsweb.com/~ilkcgs.

Cosmopolitan Club: Beatles tribute group, American English, will entertain at the Cosmopolitan Club of Elgin's fifth annual dinner and dance March 29 at Villa Olivia Country Club, off Route 20 in Bartlett. The club's dinner dance promises to deliver "end-of-the-work-week fun" in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Proceeds from ticket sales will support diabetes research and treatment and local social services. Tickets are $60. For details, call (847) 741-6201.

Elgin Watch City VFW: The community is invited to a free public dance from 3 to 6 p.m. March 30 at the Elgin Watch City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1307, 1601 Weld Road. Music will be provided by Les Pace and the Pacemakers. Refreshments and light food fare will be available for purchase. For details, call (847) 742-3879.

Elias Kent Kane DAR: The Elias Kent Kane Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at 1 p.m. April 1 at The Windings of Ferson Creek Clubhouse, Retreat Court, St. Charles. The program will be "Elias Kent Kane Chapter 20th Birthday Celebration" with guests including Betty Hartley Ford, Illinois State Regent. Refreshments will be served. For information, contact Heather Simpson, Regent, at eliaskentkane@ ildar.org.

Elgin Watch City VFW: The Elgin Watch City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1307 and its Men's Auxiliary have undertaken a project to help one of their members. They are reaching out to the community for assistance.

Randall "Skeeter" Kucharski served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army Infantry from 1970-71. During his tour of duty, Skeeter was exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical that was proven to cause diabetes and other diseases in the soldiers exposed to it. Skeeter developed diabetes in 2005 and was almost immediately crippled by a severe stroke that disabled him nearly completely. He cannot walk without assistance and often requires the use of a wheelchair. His bedroom is on the second floor of their home. Every night Skeeter must try to ascend the stairs to get to his bedroom and descend the stairs in the morning. This requires his wife or another family member to help him and prevent his falling.

The Elgin VFW Post and Men's Auxiliary are assembling volunteers of all trades and talents to build an addition to the Kucharski home to provide a first-floor bedroom for Skeeter with handicapped accessibility.

The post is asking members of the business community for donations of building materials or cash donations to make this a reality. They hope to break ground in May. All donations to this effort will be recognized with a letter confirming your generosity that may be used as proof of your charitable donation for tax purposes. This is a nonprofit project by Skeeter's friends and comrades.

If you are able to help, call VFW chaplain Doc Sheehan at (847) 921-0449. All calls will be returned promptly. Monetary donations can be mailed to: The Randall Kucharski Benefit Fund, c/o Fifth Third Bank, 1645 Larkin Ave., Elgin, IL 60123, Attn: Barbara Lopez.

Elgin Knights of Columbus: The Elgin Knights of Columbus still has a limited supply of the 10th annual "Chili for Charity" cookbook with favorite recipes donated from Brother Knights, friends, and relatives.

The cook book, featuring some world class chili recipes in honor of the 10th annual event, will contain an assortment of favorites (some never before disclosed) ranging from ethnic foods to children's favorites. There is only a limited supply left, so order today and receive the book within two weeks. Cost is $10.

All orders should be sent to: Chili for Charity Cook Book, c/o Knights of Columbus, P.O. Box 1427, Elgin IL 60120-1427. Money orders or checks should be made payable to the Knights of Columbus 654. For details, e-mail Kirk at kstas@comcast.net.

Art for All: Art for All has a $500 art scholarship available for the 2008-09 academic year. Applications are available at Judson University and Elgin Community College. Or e-mail info@artforall_elgin. com. The application deadline is June 1. The requirements include: planning to complete 30 semester hours toward an art-related degree; attending a college within 50 miles of Elgin; and living in the greater Elgin/Fox Valley area. Art For All invites all artists and non-artists to meetings at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 340 Grand Blvd. in Elgin. For details, call Sandy Kaptain at (847) 741-7375.

From the clubs To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.