DuPage County briefs

Fundraiser to help teacher:DuJardin Elementary School in Bloomingdale will sponsor a fundraiser to support staff member Donna Virgilio, who is battling ovarian cancer, from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at Bloomingdale Golf Club, 181 Glen Ellyn Road, Bloomingdale. Virgilio is a paraprofessional educator working in DuJardin's early childhood classroom. She was diagnosed in May 2008 and her cancer recently recurred. Proceeds will help with treatment costs. Tickets are $25. For details, call Cindy Rynning or Joann Dunn at (630) 894-9500.Park district receives grant:The Lombard Park District has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The money will be used for improvements at Sunset Knoll, including a soccer field, one-mile multiuse trail with fitness stations, picnic shelter, spray pad, bocce court, horseshoes, an interpretive hiking trail and council ring with savannah plantings, site furnishings and landscaping.Collection for Haiti:People Made Visible will collect items for relief efforts in Haiti from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, and from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at the Rockwell building, 108 Sherman St., behind St. Michael's United Church, in West Chicago. For details, contact peoplemadevisible@me.com or (815) 751-0551.'Souper bowl' to feed hungry:The day before the big football game, Fox Valley United Way is joining with area grocery stores, including seven Jewel-Osco markets, in a "Souper Bowl of Caring" event to replenish shelves at the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry and Kendall County Food Pantry in Yorkville. People shopping for their Super Bowl parties are asked to buy a few extra items to give to United Way volunteers stationed inside the participating supermarkets. The volunteers will accept donated items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jewel-Osco stores on Eola Road, W. Galena Boulevard and N. Lake Street in Aurora; Veterans Parkway in Yorkville; Orchard Road and Route 30 in Oswego; and North Route 47 in Sugar Grove. Other participating stores include Montgomery Market Place, on Douglas Road in Montgomery, and Prisco's Fine Foods on Prairie Street in Aurora.Monster trucks in DuPage:Monster truck fans rejoice. Two of the best-known trucks will be in DuPage County next week. The first appearance will be by Taz, a custom Tasmanian devil truck driven by Adam Anderson. Anderson will appear from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Advance Auto Parts, 2075 Bloomingdale Road in Glendale Heights. Later that day, Grave Digger and its driver, Charlie Pauken, will be on hand from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Advance store at 411 E. Geneva Road, Carol Stream. The appearances will promote a full-scale monster truck event on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 at Allstate Arena.