Geneva church helped bring clean water to Guatemalans
A "colonia" in El Rosario, Guatemala is a lot better off thanks to some members of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church in Geneva.
I wrote about the planned charitable mission three weeks ago, and Cindy Peterson, who went on the trip, sent a nice follow-up note.
She tells me everything went well with the six-member group that was part of the Living Waters program in which volunteers install water purification systems in regions where clean water is scarce.
The "colonia" is a 16-family group of homes built by Habitat for Humanity, but it had a contaminated water well.
"With this new water purification system, the colonia will be able to purify water at half the cost of commercially available bottled water," Peterson said. Another mission next year will monitor the progress of the community.
Smile on her face
You can count on Britta McKenna to have a smile on her face more often than not, but she has more reasons to do so these days.
The executive director of Batavia MainStreet was at my table during last week's chamber of commerce breakfast meeting and you could tell she was thrilled with the city council's recent decision to pump more money into her organization.
With MainStreet getting a boost to $75,000 from its previous $35,000, it means McKenna gets some part-time help in her office and the organization can tackle bigger projects.
So it appears the loyalty McKenna has displayed in going to work the past several months in a hard hat because of the Wilson Street bridge construction zone is paying off.
Ask Tom yourself
In studying American history, I was always amazed at what Thomas Jefferson accomplished during his time as president.
But what would Jefferson have to say about the state of current world affairs? You'd have to ask him. And to do so, just sign up for the presentation from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Friday in the community room at the Geneva History Center.
Humanities scholar and author Clay S. Jenkinson will go into his Thomas Jefferson character to share his thoughts about current events and other topics.
Cost is $18 and payment in advance is required. Those in attendance get a 25 percent off voucher to see Jenkinson portray Jefferson or Teddy Roosevelt on March 28 or 29 at Waubonsee Community College. Information is available at the history center, (630) 232-4951.
Piling on miles
My 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee has 114,000 miles on it, a troublesome fact, considering we have a son in college. In other words, I won't be buying a new car any time soon.
But when having the oil changed on my car, the manager at the auto service center told me not to worry about it. He said he sees numerous vehicles with far more miles. He recently serviced a car with 230,000 miles.
It makes me think many people are holding onto their cars longer because money is tight -- and cars seem to last longer these days. Not a particularly good thought for the overall economy, but one that certainly helps my pocketbook in the here and now.