Phone fiasco rings up a kind soul

There's nothing like a silly blunder to restore my faith in humanity.

On Friday night, I played tennis at Wing Park in Elgin and was so tired from hitting around that I left my cell phone on one of the benches inside the tennis courts.

Saturday morning, I was tearing the house apart looking for it, so I called the phone, hoping I'd be able to find it that way. A male voice answered the phone and I didn't say anything at first.

He asked if I was the owner of the phone and when I said I was, he said he'd picked it up earlier in the morning while sprucing up the tennis courts.

He offered to hold it for me while I drove out to the maintenance shed nearby to retrieve it.

I high-tailed it out there and met Tim Rodriguez, the man who rescued my phone - he does parks maintenance.

He said that if I hadn't come down to get my phone, he would have called my mother, whose number is listed inside my mobile, to get a message to me through her.

I was surprised nobody stole the phone that night before he arrived, but we both agreed that if it had been an iPhone, it would have been long gone.

I can't thank him enough for his kindness.

That phone, even though it's old and beat up, is my lifeline.

One good yarn deserves another: St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church needs yarn donations for people who like to knit. The knitters will be making blankets out of the fabric that the church will then deliver to children at local hospitals as part of Project Linus.

If you would like to help, call the church at (847) 658-7625.

Candy for a cause: As part of its annual fundraiser, the Algonquin Lions Club will be selling rolls of candy Friday and Saturday at the major intersections in town and at entrances to local stores.

They're doing this to raise money to benefit programs for the visually and hearing-impaired.

Most of the funds remain in the Algonquin community to help people struggling with these disabilities.

Club members will send a portion of their money to the Lions of Illinois Foundation, which donates funding to the Coclear Implant Center at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago.

Other monies will help pay for a free hearing aid and screening for people who may have hearing problems.

Get into the Halloween spirit: Bring your Halloween costume and empty stomach to Algonquin's Old Time County Harvest Day.

The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the historic downtown.

Its proceeds will benefit the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Food Pantry, so please bring nonperishable items or cash, with you. It is sponsored by the Downtown Algonquin Partnership.

Here's a sample of what's scheduled: a pumpkin contest for children, a historic walk through Algonquin Cemetery, a car-seat safety check by the Algonquin Police Department and American Legion Post 1231 will present their Wall of Honor

A 1937 restored John Deere tractor will also be on display.

If it rains, the event will be postponed until the following Saturday.

For more information, call Diane Perrone at (847) 650-6794.

• Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Pingree Grove and McHenry County College. She lives in Elgin. To reach her, call (847) 608-2725 or send an e-mail to ladkins@dailyherald.com.