Good News Sunday: New South Elgin clubhouse for Boys & Girls Club breaks ground

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

It's been a big couple of weeks for the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin.

The organization recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new clubhouse in South Elgin. The former public works building at 735 Martin Drive will be home to a 20,000-square-foot facility that will provide daily education, meals and activities for more than 250 children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Club CEO Cathy Russell announced during the ceremony that, with a gift from an anonymous donor, the club reached the $4 million mark in fundraising, which is the expected cost of renovating and outfitting the clubhouse.

About half the project was funded by the South Elgin-based Hoffer Foundation and Wayne-based Wisdom Family Foundation, with each donating $1 million.

"One in three children walk home from school, right past my office (at Hoffer Plastics), not even a half-mile from here, and they have an empty house to go to and half of them can't afford lunch," Gretchen Hoffer Farb said.

"This is a huge opportunity for our community, and we need to support these families that are all around us."

One of the site's main draws is its location right next to Sperry Park in a diverse residential neighborhood with a mix of houses, duplexes and apartments.

"I think we could all go out right now and within 15 minutes walk down the street, knock on a door and find a kid sitting home alone, in the second grade or third grade, because school ended an hour ago and mom is not back from work," said Steve Super, South Elgin village manager. "This is going to change kids' lives."

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After retiring from school named in her honor, principal took aim at polio

Whether it's learning about infectious diseases or other cultures, education has always been a focus in Mary Stitt's life.

"I've just been anxious to learn," Stitt, 96, says. "If you have a mind that wants to learn, there's a lot to learn about in the world."

When Stitt retired in 1992, she had built such an impressive career as principal of Olive Elementary School that the Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 board renamed it the Olive-Mary Stitt Elementary School in her honor.

Stitt quickly found a new calling. At age 67, she joined the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights and Rotary International's role in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. She remains an active member as Rotary recently recognized World Polio Day.

"Four times I went to India to do polio, four times to Nigeria, another time to Niger," says Stitt.

She has no idea how many doses of the lifesaving vaccine she distributed."

"I think it really paid off," says Stitt, noting that when Rotary began the polio eradication campaign, 1,000 kids a day were contracting polio. "This year, there's only been two cases, one in Afghanistan and one in Pakistan."

For the full story, click here.

Palatine boy battling leukemia gets special treatment from police

Eight-year-old Angel Becerra has been dealing with a lot this year, what with getting chemotherapy for leukemia and attending classes remotely to protect his weakened immune system.

Despite the challenges, Angel has remained cheerful and talks about wanting to become a police officer - a resolve reinforced after he was treated to a one-of-a-kind day by the Palatine Police Department.

"The truth is, they surprised us, because I didn't think they would do so much," his mother, Araceli Barrera, said. "I thought they would just show him the patrol car. But they took us all to the police department and they showed him everything."

A third-grader at Virginia Lake Elementary School, Angel was diagnosed with leukemia in February.

The idea to organize a special day for him came from Palatine police counselor Melina Dominguez, who met Angel's mom and was moved to do something special for the boy upon hearing of his illness and his dream of joining law enforcement.

For the full story, click here.

Fall colors make their appearance at Morton Arboretum

Hickories are flecked with gold, and oaks are still cloaked in mostly green, but maples are now the stars of the fall color show slowly spreading across the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

After an underwhelming start - an arboretum forest ecologist used a shrug emoji in a scouting report early this month - the elusive autumnal hues are emerging at the tree haven and elsewhere if you know where to look.

"There's still a lot of green, but I think some of the darker colors are starting to come into their own this week," said Julie Janoski, manager of the arboretum's plant clinic.

The orangy yellow shades of sugar maples are creeping into the arboretum's East Woods. Another go-to leaf-peeping spot can be reached from parking lot No. 14.

For the full story, click here.

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