Fox Valley briefs

U-46 election packetsElection packets are available for interested candidates in Elgin Area School District U-46. Four 4-year seats will be up for grabs in the April 2011 school board elections; those seats are currently held by Ken Kaczynski, Maria Bidelman, Karen Carney and Amy Kerber. Packets are available between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at U-46 central offices, 355 E. Chicago St., Elgin. Petitions will be accepted from 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 13 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 20. School board elections will be held April 5, 2011.Library offers museum passesThe Huntley Area Public Library is offering free passes to 18 area museums. The passes are available at the library's reference desk. Passes are valid for a week. Participating museums include the Brookfield Zoo, the Lake County Discovery Museum and the Chicago Botanic Garden. The library will only lend out one per family per week. Visit huntleylibrary.org or call (847) 669-5386 ext. 21.Suicide group to meetAttempters' of Suicide support group meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at Stone Manor, 528 S. Batavia Ave. (Route 31), Batavia. It is sponsored by Suicide Prevention Services. Call (630) 482-9696, or visit spsfv.org for more information.Quilters neededTwo local quilt shops are looking for quilters to make and donate quilts to help those touched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Sunshine and Shadows Quilt Shop, 1241 N. Green St. in McHenry is participating in the Quilts of Valor program, in which volunteers make quilts for injured veterans in VA hospitals. For more information, contact the shop at (815) 385-5003, at sunshineshadowquiltshop.com or through the Quilts of Valor Foundation, atqovf.org. Another effort - to make quilts for needy Afghan children which are then delivered to them by Northern Illinois troops serving there - is being led by the Quilt in Joy Shop in Huntley. Call (847) 669-1722 or go toquiltinjoy.com.