Briefs: Veteran's Day event

DuPage County is holding its annual Veteran's Day observance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at the DuPage County Convalescent Center, located at 400 N. County Farm Road. The Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe band will be performing and the event will also feature speeches by Deborah Rickert, president of Operation Support Our Troops Illinois, and Daniel Finn, Commander Illinois Department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The event is open to the public.

Scholarship deadline Dec. 5

African American high school seniors in Aurora have until Dec. 5 to apply for college scholarships from the African American Heritage Advisory Board. Criteria for the Henry Cowherd Jr. Scholarships include: a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. on a 4.0 scare or 3.5 G.P.A. on a 5.0 scale; proof or application and/or acceptance to an institution of higher education; proof of Aurora residency; official sealed copy of high school transcripts; two letters of reference, including one from an educator or high school counselor and one from an organization for which you have volunteered; essay of 500 words or less on how you will use your education to advance the African American community; and list of extracurricular activities. If selected, recipients will be notified by the end of January and awarded the scholarships at a dinner on Feb. 5, 2009. Go to aurora-il.org to download necessary forms. The forms and supporting materials may be mailed to the Mayor's Office of Special Events, 5 E. Downer Place, Suite A, Aurora, IL 60505. For details, call (630) 844-4731.

Holiday charity program

The DuPage County Convalescent Center's annual "adopt-a-resident" holiday wish list program is now under way. Residents of the center have a wide variety of needs and each one has a holiday wish list for interested individuals to fulfill. The gifts are distributed Dec. 21, so all participants should ship any donations to residents by Dec. 15. For more information on the program or to learn how to help in other ways, call (630) 784-4246.