Volunteers make North Aurora Days special
The little square magnet on the filing cabinet has colorful cut out hands and cut out heart shapes surrounding the words - "Volunteers have ordinary hands and extraordinary hearts."
That file cabinet message got me thinking about something Village Trustee Max Herwig said to me last week when we were talking about North Aurora Days.
He said that North Aurora Days can only be as big as the volunteers who step up to actually run the event.
And he's right. A vintage auto show and 5 and 10k race used to be part of North Aurora Days but lack of volunteers caused these events to disappear from the weekend schedule.
It's a shame, but not really unexpected that fewer people are available to take on extra tasks in their lives.
Fortunately one new event has taken hold. The Beer Fest is in its third year thanks to Pat Sheahan who took his idea to the village and found a way to make it work during North Aurora Days.
When you attend North Aurora Days events this weekend look at all the women in pink North Aurora Mothers Club t-shirts serving your beer at the beer tent, checking your identification and keeping your children happy on all the jumpy rides.
You'll also see the men and women and teenagers from the North Aurora Lions and Leos Club working their shifts for hours at a time when they could be enjoying the festivities with their family and friends.
Ask any of them and they will tell you that part of the fun is in the volunteering and seeing all the planning finally come into reality.
The Lions and Mothers Club members might not have much time to talk while they are working this weekend, so let me promote some of their upcoming events for you.
The Lions Club is holding its 7th annual golf outing at noon Tuesday, Aug. 26 at Bliss Creek Golf Course in Sugar Grove.
The proceeds from the outing will go to North Aurora Schools and for scholarships for North Aurora residents to attend Waubonsee Community College.
Each golfer pays $80, which includes a round of golf with cart and a steak dinner following golf. Call (630) 549-2462 to register your foursome for this event.
The NAMC meets on the first Tuesday of the month from September to May at Valley Community Bank.
The club has set a summer recruitment gathering at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 at a member's home. Anyone interested in making a difference in the lives of the children and the families in the community are invited to join.
Contact Jenny at (630) 870-1809 for the location of the gathering or for more information about becoming a member.
If you and your family and neighbors had fun at North Aurora Days this weekend, consider helping out next year. Contact the Lions and NAMC and join up to volunteer for next year.
The volunteers aren't limited to the NAMC and Lions Club members in the village.
All the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and their parents, all the baseball, soccer, basketball and volleyball coaches, the Friends of Messenger Public Library, the green thumbs of the North Aurora Garden Club members, and the dozens of church groups that volunteer their time all contribute to the nurturing of North Aurora.
North Aurora Days is a big yearlong commitment for the volunteers but with lots of hands and hearts involved it will continue to be a big part of our summer.