Tri-Cities briefs

St. Charles leaf pickup:

There is one remaining leaf pickup date for St. Charles residents in all but the city's southeast quadrant (Area 1). Today is the final day for residents in the northeast quadrant (Area 2); Monday for residents in the southwest quadrant (Area 3), and Dec. 2 for the northwest quadrant (Area 4). Area 1's final day was last week. After the final pickup, residents will be required to pack leaves in yardwaste bags, which will be collected on normal refuse collection days through Dec. 31. For the remaining city pickups, leaves should be raked to the parkway not into the street. Piling leaves in the street is a violation of city code, with violators subject to fines up to $500. For more details on the program go to stcharlesil.gov/services/leaf, or call the public works office at (630) 377-4405.

AIDS activist at ECC:

AIDS activist Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of the late Ryan White, will be the keynote speaker at the 8 a.m. Dec. 1 World AIDS Day Breakfast at Elgin Community College. White died of AIDS-related complications in 1990 after receiving a blood transfusion to treat his hemophilia. The Indiana teenager became the nation's first public face of AIDS during a period when the disease was widely misunderstood. The breakfast will be held in the Student Resource Center Community and Heritage Rooms on the main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Tickets are $10. To reserve a seat, call (847) 214-7370.

AAUW to meet:

The Tri-Ciites Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold its annual holiday breakfast at 9 a.m. Dec. 5, at LeBerry Bistro, 227 S. Third St., Geneva. The AAUW will celebrate with its Parade of SnowWomen. The public is invited. For information, contact membershipaauw@yahoo.com or phone Jan McPeak at (630) 584-3431.

Marklund seeks donations:

Donations for Marklund's annual Giving Tree drive can be dropped off through Dec. 11 at two locations: Marklund Hyde Center, 1S450 Wyatt Drive, Geneva, or Marklund Philip Center for Children, 164 S. Prairie, Bloomingdale. Marklund is a nonprofit network of services for infants, children and adults with severe and profound developmental disabilities. Giving Tree cards are created for each resident with a brief bio and three gift suggestions. Donors take a card and purchase one or more wish items and return them, wrapped, to Marklund. New this year, donors also can support day-to-day expenses, such as electric, gas and water bills. Donors also may give items from Marklund's general wish list, located at marklund.org. For details, call Cathy Nikrandt at (630) 593-5468 or Stevie Armbruster at (630) 593-5473.