Good News Sunday: Bricks of Hope collects Lego sets to give to kids in local hospitals

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

Let kids in hospitals be kids and heal

Adam Petraglia of Wauconda has always loved Legos. He would spend hours in his Lake Zurich basement as a boy letting his imagination run wild. Now 32, Adam's devotion to the bricks runs even deeper thanks to a devastating turn of events on his 11th birthday. That's when he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Now 32, Adam launched Bricks of Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which collects donations of new Lego sets to be given to area hospitals.

"Legos offer a connection to play, which is essential to healing for children," Adam said. "Kids in the hospital don't have choices. They are in a fight for life. Legos just let you be a kid again."

Thanks to a network of family and friends, Adam was able to donate 70 new Lego sets to Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was treated. In January, he donated more than 100 new sets to Comer Children's Hospital and matched that for La Rabida in February. In March, he aims to make the same donation to Lurie Children's Hospital and in April to Shriner's. He said some sets stay in the community rooms for everyone to share, while other hospitals send kids home with them.

For the full story, click here.

Irish Dancers get requests to perform

The Arlington Heights-based Hogan Academy of Irish Dance has been getting requests to perform in person like gangbusters.

With last year's COVID-19 mitigations in place, the school filmed a virtual show of their performers doing traditional dances and shared it with area schools, nursing homes and other groups. One year later, the school has been inundated with offers to perform in person.

At last count, they had 35 shows lined up leading up to St. Patrick's Day and some on the day itself.

"It's the most performances we've had," says Caitlin Hogan Hubick, the Arlington Heights native who started the school five years ago. "It's crazy."

Hogan Academy of Irish Dance will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year. What began with 10 students in two classes has grown to 100 students, spread out in multiple classes, from as young as 2-year-olds through high school teens. Hubick opened her school, she says, with the idea of building an Irish dance community in the Northwest suburbs.

"I wanted to create a family," Hubick says, "and that's what this feels like to me. I want to know the parents, know the kids and know what other activities they're interested in."

For the full story, click It's the most performances we've had," says Caitlin Hogan Hubick, the Arlington Heights native who started the school five years ago. "It's crazy." Hogan Academy of Irish Dance will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year. What began with 10 students in two classes has grown to 100 students, spread out in multiple classes, from as young as 2-year-olds through high school teens. Hubick opened her school, she says, with the idea of building an Irish dance community in the Northwest suburbs. "I wanted to create a family," Hubick says, "and that's what this feels like to me. I want to know the parents, know the kids and know what other activities they're interested in." In November, Hogan dancers competed in the Midwest Regionals in Chicago, and they will compete in them again later this year in Indianapolis. Girls will also be competing in the National Championships in July in Montreal, including dancers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Next month, Hubick will send her first dancer to compete in the World Championships in Belfast. Despite the growing competition success, Hubick says, she wants her school to be a place where everyone is welcome, no matter their ability. For the full story, click here. Mount Prospect Fire Department battalion chief lauded by VFW Mount Prospect VFW Post 1337 recently honored Mount Prospect Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Cassidy with the First Responder Americanism Certificate of Merit. Still, the veteran firefighter insisted that it was a shared honor. "None of the work I'm doing gets done in a vacuum," said Cassidy, who credited the support of village leaders, his bosses at the fire department and fellow firefighters for the recognition. "I am highly honored to accept this, especially based on the group that's recognizing me," said Cassidy during a presentation before the village board. "My father is not in the room or on earth, but I know he's with us tonight. He's a veteran of the Korean War, and he would be especially proud to see this." Fire Chief John Dolan called Cassidy, who heads up training for the department, the reason he and Deputy Chief Tom Wang sleep at night. "When we notified Tim he was getting the award, in his typical humble self, he said, 'What did I do? I didn't run into a burning building,'" Dolan said. For the full story, click here. Taking a hike to send kids to camp Camp One Step's overarching mission is to "Empower Kids Who Have Cancer," encouraging them to take on the world. They did that with Coby Bassin, a 23-year-old oncology nurse from Glenview, and Trevor Dralle, a 23-year-old tree specialist from Brookfield, Wisconsin. Bassin and Dralle are taking on the world, or at least 2,201 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting on Springer Mountain in Georgia - through 14 states, up the East Coast - and finishing at Katahdin Mountain in Maine in what they hope will take only six months. Through the Camp One Step summer Camp Program, Bassin and Dralle met at the sleep-away camp in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. They were both 8-year-old leukemia patients in remission and ended up in the same cabin in 2008, becoming fast friends. They stayed cabin mates for the next 10 years in every program they were lucky enough to participate in, including summer camp, winter camp, ski trips and a life-changing white water rafting trip. "Trevor and I survived childhood leukemia and began going to Camp One Step when we were kids. This camp focuses on giving children with cancer a safe place to have fun and make friends, both things that can be extremely challenging while going through chemotherapy," Bassin said. To learn more about raising funds for Camp One Step, including the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, visit TeamOneStep.org. For the full story, click here. Elgin High takes U-46 TalentFest Trophy Elgin High School took home the traveling TalentFest Trophy at the recent Elgin Area School District U-46 TalentFest, held at the Hemmens Cultural Center. South Elgin High School's acts were ranked highly, finishing in first and third place. At TalentFest, finalists from all five District U-46 high schools perform. The five acts receiving the most audience votes perform again, this time also evaluated by five preselected judges. Those judges choose the first-, second-and third-place winners. The winners receive a cash prize and a plaque. The school with the most audience votes combined between its two acts receives the traveling TalentFest Trophy. For the full story, click here. Let kids in hospitals be kids and heal Adam Petraglia of Wauconda has always loved Legos. He would spend hours in his Lake Zurich basement as a boy letting his imagination run wild even more when he was diagnosed with leukemia on his 11th birthday. Now 32, Adam launched Bricks of Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which collects donations of new Lego sets to be given to area hospitals. "Legos offer a connection to play, which is essential to healing for children," Adam said. "Kids in the hospital don't have choices. They are in a fight for life. Legos just let you be a kid again." Thanks to a network of family and friends, Adam was able to donate 70 new Lego sets to Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was treated. In January, he donated more than 100 new sets to Comer Children's Hospital and matched that for La Rabida in February. In March, he aims to make the same donation to Lurie Children's Hospital and in April to Shriner's. He said some sets stay in the community rooms for everyone to share, while other hospitals send kids home with them. For the full story, click here. #x2022; Good News Sunday will run each weekend. Please visit dailyherald.com/newsletters to sign up for our Good News Sunday newsletter. ">here.

Mount Prospect Fire Department battalion chief lauded by VFW

Mount Prospect VFW Post 1337 recently honored Mount Prospect Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Cassidy with the First Responder Americanism Certificate of Merit. Still, the veteran firefighter insisted that it was a shared honor.

"None of the work I'm doing gets done in a vacuum," said Cassidy, who credited the support of village leaders, his bosses at the fire department and fellow firefighters for the recognition. "I am highly honored to accept this, especially based on the group that's recognizing me," said Cassidy during a presentation before the village board.

Fire Chief John Dolan called Cassidy, who heads up training for the department, the reason he and Deputy Chief Tom Wang sleep at night.

"When we notified Tim he was getting the award, in his typical humble self, he said, 'What did I do? I didn't run into a burning building,'" Dolan said.

For the full story, click here.

Taking a hike to send kids to camp

Camp One Step's overarching mission is to "Empower Kids Who Have Cancer," encouraging them to take on the world. They did that with Coby Bassin, a 23-year-old oncology nurse from Glenview, and Trevor Dralle, a 23-year-old tree specialist from Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Bassin and Dralle are taking on the world, or at least 2,201 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting on Springer Mountain in Georgia - through 14 states, up the East Coast - and finishing at Katahdin Mountain in Maine in what they hope will take only six months.

Through the Camp One Step summer Camp Program, Bassin and Dralle met at the sleep-away camp in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. They were both 8-year-old leukemia patients in remission and ended up in the same cabin in 2008, becoming fast friends. To learn more about raising funds for Camp One Step, including the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, visit TeamOneStep.org.

For the full story, click here.

Elgin High takes U-46 TalentFest Trophy

Elgin High School took home the traveling TalentFest Trophy at the recent Elgin Area School District U-46 TalentFest, held at the Hemmens Cultural Center. South Elgin High School's acts were ranked highly, finishing in first and third place.

At TalentFest, finalists from all five District U-46 high schools perform. The five acts receiving the most audience votes perform again, this time also evaluated by five preselected judges.

Those judges choose the first-, second-and third-place winners. The winners receive a cash prize and a plaque. The school with the most audience votes combined between its two acts receives the traveling TalentFest Trophy.

For the full story, click here.

#x2022; Good News Sunday will run each weekend. Please visit dailyherald.com/newsletters to sign up for our Good News Sunday newsletter.