From the clubs
From the clubs To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.
Signal Hill DAR: Signal Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will hold a Genealogy Workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Barrington Area Public Library, Room A on the first floor, 505 N. Northwest Hwy., Barrington.
Debbie McArdle, a member of Kishwaukee Trail Chapter NSDAR, will present the program "Do These Genes Make Me Look Fat?" The presentation will show how DNA testing can be used in genealogy research.
After the program, Helen Palmer and the DAR Membership Task Force, as well as chapter members, will be available to assist those who are interested in DAR membership.
Anyone who would like to know more about the NSDAR, interested in becoming a prospective member or researching her family history is invited to attend this free meeting. A light breakfast and lunch will be served.
• Signal Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will welcome the spring season on Tuesday at the Barrington Area Public Library, first-floor room B, 505 N. Northwest Hwy., Barrington.
The business meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. with a social period and refreshments to follow at noon.
At 1 p.m., Tom McCarthy will present a timely program, "Conservation -- What We Can Do." McCarthy is the manager of the McHenry County Land and Facilities.
Hostesses for the day will be Pat Esposito of Sleepy Hollow, Bonnie Free of Barrington, Lois Lee of Barrington Hills, Janice McGrath of St. Charles and Jeanette Muench of Crystal Lake.
To be eligible for membership a woman must be no less than 18 years of age and able to prove her lineage to an ancestor who aided in the cause of the American Independence through military, civil or patriot service. Club members will help prospective members trace their ancestry. A free lineage workshop, open to the public, will be held April 12 and private assistance also may be arranged.
Anyone needing to know more about membership or the lineage workshop may contact Leslie Rohrer at (847) 587-5301 or Joanne Farrell at (815) 603-7824.
Izaak Walton League: The Elgin Chapter Izaak Walton League and Boy Scout Troop 10 invite the public to their annual spaghetti dinner from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church, 330 Griswold St., Elgin. Dinner will include spaghetti with meat or marinara sauce, garlic bread, salad and dessert. Cost for a family of four is $20, individual is $6, seniors ages 60 and older are $5 and children under 3 are free. Proceeds will be used for conservation and scouting projects.
VFW Post 2298: The Tri-City Evergreen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2298 and Ladies Auxiliary will host a free senior breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the post home, 117 S. First St., West Dundee. For details, call (847) 428-9006.
Hampshire VFW: Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8043 will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Hampshire Township building, 100 Center St. New members are welcome.
The March 10 meeting with Commander Lowell Reiser opened with a prayer by Chaplain Patrick Herrmann, a salute to the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance. A thank-you was read from Transitional Living Services in Hebron.
Hampshire and Burlington Central high schools scholarship forms will be delivered to the schools this month. The date for completion will be April 30. Forms will be picked up May 1 for judging.
VFW Post 8043 members are organizing the records, pictures, and memorabilia for the archives. If anyone has any old articles or pictures they would like to donate, call Reiser (847) 683-3443. The Post would be most appreciative to receive the materials.
Fruit baskets have been delivered to two members that had been hospitalized, with a visit and also a lap blanket, and a visit was made to a member in a nursing home.
Nominations and election of officers will take place at the Monday meeting. The Fifth District Spring Frolic at Post 7448 in Winthrop Harbor will be held April 19.
Hampshire VFW Auxiliary: Hampshire Ladies Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 8043 will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Hampshire Township Building, 100 Center St.
The March 10 meeting with President Jerrilynne Partlo presiding started with a prayer by Chaplain Elaine Setter, the Pledge of Allegiance and a group singing of "America," led by musician Velda Grimes. Conductress pro tem Doris Klock answered the roll call of officers; the secretary's and treasurer's reports were read, approved and placed on file.
Sunshine chairwoman Mary Ann Peterson reported on cards sent to members or members' families. Cancer and community service chairwoman Arlene Reiser reminded members to read the current issue of Ladies Auxiliary VFW National magazine in regard to the cancer program, and also the article on disaster awareness.
Discussion was held in regard to the 60th anniversary of honoring charter members June 9. Final plans will be completed at the April meeting.
The proceeds from the auxiliary garage sale held in September will be used for one scholarship at Hampshire High School and one scholarship at Burlington Central High School. Application forms were delivered at the respective schools April 1; they will be picked up May 1 for judging at the next meeting.
Nomination and election of officers will take place at the next meeting, Monday, at the township building. New members are welcome. For details, call Arlene at (847) 683-3443.
A report on the Fifth District meeting held at Elgin VFW Post 1307 attended by the president and treasurer was given. A memorial service was held and the following deceased members of Auxiliary 8043 were remembered: Gloria Busche, Sharon Hickey, Grace Scott, Mabel Schultz and Anninta Tegtman. Memorial booklets were sent to the deceased members' families.
Hampshire American Legion: The Hampshire American Legion will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. John Lutheran Church, 13N535 French Road in Burlington. During the awards dinner, the Legion will award certificates of service to four members who together, have 220 years in the American Legion. For details, call Dale Dopkins at (847) 683-0904.
Fox Valley Beaux Arts: Fox Valley Beaux Arts will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday at the new Italian restaurant in downtown Elgin, Villa Verone, 13 Douglas Ave.
Edith Rugg, a world traveler, will offer planning, packing and travel tips for business trips and vacations. Members and guests are invited to meet for dinner at Villa Verone at 5:30 p.m. The regularly scheduled program will immediately follow at 7 p.m. Beaux Arts welcomes all those who are interested in supporting the arts in the Elgin area. For details, call Marge Haefliger at (847) 697-7374.
Golden K Kiwanis: The Elgin Golden K Kiwanis will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. Pete Garteck of the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau will present the program. Visitors are welcome. For information, call (847) 741-7176.
Fox Valley SHRM: On April 17, the Illinois Fox Valley Society for Human Resource Management welcomes Kathleen Caldwell, president of Caldwell Consulting Group LLC. This interactive session will teach you how to take your career and HR team to the next level of effectiveness.
Illinois Fox Valley SHRM meets the third Thursday of every month for a luncheon, with versatile programs directed toward the HR professional, at Hennessy Restaurant, just north of I-90 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. The cost for members is $20, or $40 for nonmembers.
Northwest Suburban Astronomers: The April meeting of the Northwest Suburban Astronomers will feature a presentation by Antonino Miceli of Argonne National Laboratory, "New Views on the Formation of Our Galaxy." His talk will discuss current research on the formation of the Milky Way galaxy, as well as the discovery of new dwarf galaxies which are currently being incorporated into our galaxy.
The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. April 18 in rooms 105/106 at the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center, 1685 W. Higgins Road (at Huntington Boulevard) in Hoffman Estates. There is no cost to attend. For details, call Gordon at (847) 231-3145.
Dundee Township Historical Society: The Dundee Township Historical Society invites you on a historic bus tour on April 20 with the theme "Riding the Streetcar."
The streetcar carried people to Elgin and back from a time before the turn of the last century until the early 1930s.
Who were those people and where were they going? When and why did the street car stop running?
Attend the historic bus tour and meet with some of the folks who traveled back and forth on a regular basis. Hear their stories as well as a history of this once-vital means of transportation.
Tickets for $5 are available at Family Pride Cleaners, 537 S. Eighth St., West Dundee. Tickets also will be available at the museum the day of the event. Tours will be held at 1 and 2:30 p.m. For information call (847) 428-6996. The historical society's annual meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 4. After a brief business meeting, there will be a special presentation by guest speaker Craig Pfannkuche, "Digging Up Grandma's Privy."
Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association: The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, which has planned Elgin's Memorial Day observance for over a century, would like your help in planning this year's program.
The association was formed in the 1890s to continue the work of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Army veterans' organization, which had coordinated the observations since the Civil War.
This year will mark Elgin's 140th Memorial Day program, and the association plans an observance with a strong historical focus.
The group says it also would like more community organizations to join in its efforts. Currently, the association is made up of more than a dozen veterans, civic, fraternal, and service groups; each group sends a representative to the meetings. Members hope to broaden that support.
Clubs and organizations that would who like to join are asked to call either Jerry Turnquist at (847) 431-2472 or Carolyn Hansen (847) 888-1455. Regular meetings are held the last Saturday of each month from January until May.
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 its members. The Post is reaching out to the community for assistance.
Randall "Skeeter" Kucharski served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army Infantry in 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. Kucharski developed diabetes in 2005m 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 Kucharski 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 him from 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, with a May groundbreaking. All donations to this effort will be recognized with a letter confirming the generosity that may be used as proof of a charitable donation for tax purposes. This is a nonprofit project by Skeeter Kucharski'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 group's 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), including ethnic foods, children's favorites and more.
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@artfor all_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 the next meeting at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 340 Grand Blvd. in Elgin, across from Lords Park.
This is a chance to network with area artists. Art for All has year-round artist exhibits at five locations: Elgin City Hall, The Centre, Sherman Hospital, Carswell's Flooring, and Trefon's Restaurant.
The nonprofit organization assists artists and the visual arts in the Elgin area. For details, call Sandy Kaptain at (847) 741-7375 or visit www.artforall-elgin.com.