Good News Sunday: Bike for the Kids event in Elgin brings smiles, support for Easterseals

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Bicyclists took to the streets and roads in and around Elgin on Sunday, Aug. 29, for rides as long as 100 miles to help support Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley, but it was the kids who pedaled in a ⅓-mile loop at the agency's center who stole the show.

Among them was 14-year-old Charlie Krupka of Sugar Grove, whose friends cheered him on as he steered his adapted bike around the course at the Easterseals Elgin facility during the Bike for Kids event.

"Pure joy, that's all I can say," Charlie's mom, Tracy Krupka, said of the look on her son's face. "I feel so thrilled that he is able to enjoy this time with his friends."

Bike for the Kids supports Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley's work to create limitless possibilities for infants, children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities, and to ensure they have the therapies and programs needed to reach new goals and meet their milestones.

For the full story, click here.

Honor Flight volunteer makes 20th trip with veterans to D.C.

On Aug. 18, Dan Harrington was back to doing one of the things he loves best. The vice president of senior living for Lexington Squares Lombard and Elmhurst has been a volunteer with Honor Flight Chicago for 10 years.

The nonprofit organization takes American veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials that honor their service.

Harrington, who has worked in senior living for 20 years, said that several years ago, residents of the communities he managed started sharing their experiences with him when they returned home.

He quickly signed on to volunteer. First, in addition to recruiting veterans at his retirement communities to participate in the experience, Harrington would help see them off from the airport when they left for their trip.

Soon after that, he started traveling with the veterans as a guardian and bus captain.

Honor Flight stopped operating during COVID-19. Last week was the first trip in almost two years.

Harrington reported that this flight included three World War II, 33 Korean War, and 76 Vietnam War veterans. "This was my 20th trip," he said.

For the full story, click here.

Hard work, planning bring back Schaumburg Septemberfest

Where there's a will, there's a way. That seems to be the mantra of village officials in Schaumburg in bringing back the area's largest Labor Day festival: Septemberfest.

The slightly scaled back event takes place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5. It features a carnival, live entertainment on two stages, 10 restaurants in the Taste of Schaumburg, four purveyors of craft beer and wine, bingo, fireworks on Sunday evening, and a Septemberfest Court competition.

With state restrictions lifted in May, organizers worked tirelessly to mount the festival during this, its 50th anniversary year.

"I'm not sure people understand how much work it takes to mount an event like this," said Jack Netter, director of the village's Cultural Services Department, "but I hope what we're doing this year provides a fun, safe and exciting diversion for the residents of Schaumburg and surrounding communities."

For the full story, click here.

Elgin authors among semifinalists in Illinois librarians' book contest

At 15, Raúl Castillo Ontiveros began traveling across his native Mexico in search of adventures.

"I used to travel from my hometown (Monterrey) to the most famous places in Mexico," said Ontiveros, 58, of Elgin, who teaches Advanced Placement Spanish at Elgin High School.

Ontiveros' bilingual memoir, "Grandes Aventuras de un Pequeño Viajero," and a fantasy historical romance novel, "Demon's Bane" by fellow Elgin author India Powers, are semifinalists in the eighth annual Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project Indie Book Competition.

"The contest itself is good because it promotes writing," said Ontiveros, who has been teaching in Elgin Area School District U-46 for 23 years.

Volunteer Illinois librarians read and evaluate the works of lesser-known local authors entered in the contest. Ontiveros and Powers are patrons of Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. The library's staff members helped spread the word about the contest and received submissions and nominations of authors.

For the full story, click here.

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