Aurora holiday dance to benefit paralyzed teen
The Northern Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives is holding its annual holiday dance for charity from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at the Pipers Banquet Hall, 1295 Butterfield Road, Aurora.
This year's beneficiary is Richard "Tre" Winfrey, an honor student and band member from East Aurora High School, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a 2007 shooting in Aurora.
The not-for-profit organization includes police officers from the Northern suburbs.
The event includes hors d'oeuvres and old school hip-hop and R&B spun by Maurice "Ice" Culpepper - V103 radio will be broadcasting live from the dance.
Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, call Elgin Police Sgt. Gary Neal, also the group's vice president, at (847) 354-3385 or Aurora Police Lt. Keith Cross, the organization's president, at (630) 330-0019.
If you can't make it to the event, but would still like to make a donation to Winfrey, you can send it to one of two places: Elgin Police Department, c/o Sgt. Gary Neal, 151 Douglas Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, or NIC-NOBLE, P.O. Box 1321, Aurora, IL 60507. Put it in the name of Lt. Keith Cross.
Stocking up on tennis and other gear: The Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center in Huntley, which just opened this summer and features four indoor tennis courts, has a new pro shop.
The shop opened earlier this month, and besides tennis equipment you can also buy gym bags, yoga mats, athletic gear and items bearing the fitness center's logo.
The best part is customers get 10 percent off all pro shop purchases this month.
The fitness center is also offering free coffee and bagels from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays. For details, visit www.healthbridgefitness.com or call (815) 444-2900.
Healthy resolutions: Hard to believe it's almost time to start making those New Year's resolutions.
If you live near Algonquin and one of your resolutions includes getting in shape, you're in luck.
There's a new Weight Watchers group that just opened Sunday at the Meijer store in Algonquin.
It's offering drop-in hours so people can go in at their own leisure to weigh themselves, buy products and set up meeting times. Meijer is at Randall and Stonegate roads.
For other locations and meeting times, visit weight watchers.com or call (800) 651-6000.
No threat to my day job: While surfing through my work e-mail one early morning last week, I came across a note with the subject heading: "I am a writer."
The message came from Pingree Grove Mayor Wyman "Clint" Carey, who has started writing a pair of blogs.
You can read his musings at clintcarey.blogspot.com.
On the current installment, he writes about putting a code of conduct for elected officials on the agenda for the next committee of the whole meeting.
"I decided to write so I can communicate the details of issues I feel are important to the residents of Pingree Grove," he said. "I plan on writing once a week or more. I have written three times already, plus created a blog for the downtown."
You can read all about the downtown at pingreegrove.blogspot.com.
Carey assures me his blogs won't render my position here at the paper obsolete.
"I was joking about being a writer," he said. "Writing daily is your job."
• Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Cary, Fox River Grove and McHenry County College. To reach her, call (847) 608-2725 or e-mail ladkins@dailyherald.com.