Donating blood is a gift from your heart to our local hospitals

Heartland Blood Centers is sponsoring more than 70 blood drives next month throughout the suburbs.

The blood helps supply 33 hospitals in northern Illinois and Indiana.

If you live in or around Huntley, you can donate blood May 7 at Century 21 New Heritage, 12388 Princeton Drive.

Blood donations will be accepted from 3 to 7 p.m. Call Lora Mahnke at (847) 987-3956 for an appointment.

To donate blood, you must be at least 17 (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and be free of cold, flu and allergy symptoms.

Everything but Meryl Streep: More than 130 kids from Lakewood School in Carpentersville will get to hear some music from the heart next month.

On May 4, Lakewood's orchestra students will take a trip to the Chicago Theatre to watch a dress rehearsal of the Canadian string group Bowfire.

I hadn't heard of the group, but from Bowfire's Web site, it looks like the group puts on a high-intensity show complete with passion, dance and virtuosity.

The group will take some time out of its North American tour to answer students' questions and sign autographs after the rehearsal.

The string superstars have donated sheet music and DVDs to the Lakewood kids.

You can still get tickets for Bowfire's show at www.thechicagotheatre.com.

Gilberts abuzz with events: Laurie Goetz asked me to let you know about a couple of upcoming events at Gilberts Elementary School.

The school's first Fun Fair will be from 3 to 7 p.m. on May 3. I'm told a number of teachers and Principal Jeff King will be in the dunk tank.

Also, the school is hosting a Fine Arts Festival at 2:30 p.m. May 22. Art from all grades will be on display, and band and orchestra performances are set for 7 p.m.

Charity gets new center: Roger Klein has asked me to spread the word about the Fiat Missionaries' new distribution center in Huntley.

The local charitable group has a new warehouse on Route 62 west of Route 47.

The building will be a central hub for Fiat to store its donations and ship them out to communities from Rockford to Chicago.

Since 2002, Fiat Missionaries has provided aid -- in the form of food, furniture and financial counseling -- to area families in need.

The charity is asking for donations to help furnish its new warehouse. Among the supplies Fiat needs are wall paint, lumber, office supplies and plastic storage bins.

To make a donation, call Fiat at (773) 443-7355.

Jaycees poker run: The reconstituted Huntley Jaycees are sponsoring a poker run at 6:30 p.m. May 10.

The event will take you to five Huntley establishments. At each stop, you'll be dealt a playing card until you have a full poker hand.

At the Parkside Pub (11721 E. Main St.), prizes will be given to the best poker hands, with games and raffles throughout the evening.

The event is open to anyone ages 21 and older and costs $10 per person or $15 per couple.

The event starts at Del Toro's Tex-Mex Grill, 10400 N. Route 47. Call (847) 366-0760 for more information.