From the clubs

Submit club news and photos of activities to Club News, Daily Herald, 385 Airport Road, Suite A, IL 60123. Or e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com or fax to (847) 608-0849.

Elgin Genealogical Society: The Elgin Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. June 19 in the main floor meeting rooms at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin.

Ernie Broadnax, longtime Elgin resident and descendant of a former Civil War slave sent North, will speak on the settlement of African Americans in Elgin. He will share information about their neighborhoods and businesses as well as his own family history. He is the originator of the Black History Trolley Tour. For details, , call Larry Pepper at (847) 426-7377 or visit the Web site at www.elginroots.com. Visitors, guests and new members are welcome.

Illinois Fox Valley SHRM: The Illinois Fox Valley Society of Human Resource Management welcomes Bernie Dyme, President & CEO of Perspectives today. This workshop will provide you with information on the benefits of EAPs and evaluating EAPs to fit your organizations needs.

Illinois Fox Valley SHRM meets at Hennessy Restaurant in Elgin, just north of I-90 off Randall road, the third Thursday of every month for a luncheon with versatile programs directed towards the Human Resource Professional. Registration is at 11:15 and the meeting adjourns at 1:00 PM.

For details, call (847) 289-7170. The cost for Illinois Fox Valley SHRM members $20, $40 for non-members.

Woodstock Professional and Business Women: The Woodstock Professional and Business Women will present its 16th annual Garden Walk from 1 to 8 p.m. today, rain or shine. The event will feature six inspirational gardens including a large hosta collection and a charming gazebo, an informal cottage style garden with outdoor antiques scattered among the 300-plus plant varieties. The gardens surrounding the plaqued historic home is a retreat for the artist who created it.

Featured in Chicagoland Gardening Magazine, a plant collectors sanctuary is full of rare and unusual specimens. A "Freestyle" garden with a prairie stone wall and fountain has shrubs and perennials for year-round interest.

Visit a family-friendly landscape that blends a remarkable plant collection with their children's playground.

The communal garden of a retirement community is a bird and butterfly haven.

Participants can stroll through the gardens at a leisurely pace and get inspired. Exchange gardening information or ask questions of the homeowner.

The raffle will have valuable prizes donated by Woodstock businesses.

Garden walk tickets are $15. Tickets and maps will be available at the Stage Left Café at the Woodstock Opera House walk day.

Elgin Junior Woman's Club: The club's "Treasured Gardens of Elgin" garden walk will take place on June 21. Proceeds from this event will benefit Senior Services Associates Inc. The starting location will be the Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 25 Brookside Drive in Elgin. It will include seven beautiful gardens in Elgin and South Elgin. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $12 at Flower Wagon, 989 W. Spring St. in South Elgin; Town and Country Gardens, 936 E. Chicago St., Elgin; or Jewel Food Store, 1660 Larkin Ave., Elgin. Tickets are $15 on the day of the event. For details, call Karen Dowling at (847) 697-4530 or Joanna Klemm at (847) 697-6827.

Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice: The group will host a rummage sale to defray operating expenses for the year from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 21 in the church basement at Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, 783 W. Highland Ave., Elgin. Drop off donated items at the same location from 4 to 8 p.m. June 20. Donate books, clean clothing in good repair, household items, furniture, and odds and ends.

CAGG-NI: The Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois meetings are held at 10:30 a.m. the third Saturday of each month at the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg.

The topic will be "Write Your Family History NOW!" on June 21. Moderator will be Mike Karsen. He will show how you can publish your genealogy research in a book that vary from a simple 30 pages to ones that contain detailed biographies and places our families in historical context. This is one of series of genealogical programs.

Toast of the Fox: Toast of the Fox Toastmasters Club 8325 will hold an open house from 7 to 9:30 p.m. June 24 at the new location, Elgin Academy's Sears Gallery, 350 Park St., Elgin. Membership is open to adults who would like to improve their communication and leadership skills. Visitors are welcome.

Join them as they go "Beyond the Secret," featuring Bruce Lee's legendary One-Inch Punch, with Wayne Lemon, Toast of the Fox Club past president. This speech was inspired by the film and book "The Secret," featured on Oprah at least six times since its release.

You will see experienced and novice speakers alike practicing prepared and impromptu speaking throughout the evening.

The local Toast of the Fox club meets regularly on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Elgin Academy. For information visit www.toastofthefox.freetoasthost.org, e-mail tfox8325@hotmail.com or contact Troy LaPorte, public relations, at (630) 306-1911.

Elgin Junior Womans Club: Elgin Junior Woman's Club is having a Meet and Greet at 7 p.m. June 25 at Panera Bread, 2484 N. Randall Road, just north of I-90, in Elgin.

Women 18 years of age and older living in the Fox River Valley area are welcome. The club is a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. For information, call Sue Lucio, membership director, at (847) 428-2966.

Golden K Kiwanis: The Elgin Golden K Kiwanis will meet at 9 a.m. June 25 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. The program will be by Karen Flanagan, community emergency response training director for the Elgin Police Department. Her topic will be "How To Handle Severe Weather Disasters." For information, call (847) 741-7176.

McHenry County Legionnaires: Legionnaires from all County posts are invited to attend the monthly meeting of the McHenry County Council at 7:30 p.m. June 26.

The meeting venue will be the Hebron Public Library, 9908 St. Albans St. The library is one block south of Route 173 and two blocks east of Route 47. The host post is American Legion Hebron Post 606.

For details, call Commander Arthur Erickson of Hebron Post 606 at (815) 648-2568 or McHenry County Council Commander Robert Howe Jr. at (815) 653-6391.

The McHenry County Council does not meet in July. The next council meeting will be Aug. 28 at the Lake in the Hills Post 1231.

Elgin VFW: A free public dance will be hosted by the Elgin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post from 3 to 6 p.m. June 29. Music will be provided by Les Pace and the Pacemakers. Light food fare and refreshments will be available for purchase. The VFW post is at 1601 Weld Road on Elgin's west side. For information, call (847) 742-3879.

Girl Scouts Sybaquay: You can make a difference in the lives of girls. If you enjoy working with children and have a few hours to spare, Girl Scouts-Sybaquay Council is looking for you. It doesn't matter if you have a child in Girl Scouts as long as you're 18 years of age or older. Moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends are welcome.

Adults are needed who are willing to commit to the Girl Scout mission and mentor a diverse group of girls. There are various short and long-term opportunities available. You can receive a free ticket to Six Flags if you are a new volunteer with Sybaquay Council who has passed a criminal-background check, and you must volunteer for a minimum of six hours before June 30. This incentive program is for new volunteers only. For information on the Girl Scout program and volunteer opportunities, visit Web site at www.gs-sybaquay.org or call Cherie Jones at (847) 741-5521, ext. 7127. Girl Scouts-Sybaquay Council is headquartered in Elgin and serves more than 10,000 girls in McHenry County and parts of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Lake, LaSalle and Kane counties.