Good News Sunday: Beagles bred for research meet new foster families in South Elgin

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

Ninety-one beagles that had been bred for medical research in Virginia got a new lease on life when they were introduced to new foster families Tuesday in South Elgin.

"They haven't been on this earth very long," Anderson Humane CEO Beth Foster told the foster families Tuesday morning. "But the whole time, it's been scary, and people have not always been very good to them.

"This is the beginning of their new life," she said.

Roughly 4,000 beagles were rescued in late July by the Humane Society of the United States from Envigo, a breeding facility in Virginia. Three cargo vans set out from Anderson Humane to bring 100 of them to South Elgin and move them immediately into foster care. They returned just after midnight Tuesday with 91 - all the dogs they could fit - and worked overnight to prepare them for pickup.

Dean Daubert, Anderson Humane's chief operations officer, said they got about three times as many foster applications as they had beagles.

"There's been such a demand for the beagles, but there are plenty of other animals in the system that would love a home," he said.

For the full story, click here.

Backpack Build event gives students a start on the school year

Students at Newport Elementary School in Beach Park will get a head start for the new school year with backpacks filled with supplies courtesy of Learning Resources, an educational toy company headquartered in Vernon Hills.

Employees from Learning Resources and sister companies, hand2mind and Educational Insights on Tuesday filled 300 backpacks with glue sticks, notebooks, markers, colored pencils and other supplies in the annual Backpack Build event to benefit a school in need.

Each student at the kindergarten through fifth grade school, will receive a backpack including age-appropriate items tailored to specific grade levels. Newport Elementary is among five schools in Beach Park Consolidated Community School District 3.

Besides a backpack for every student, teachers were given empty boxes to fill with supplies, said Principal Chris Anderson.

According to Learning Resources, the average household spends $864 to send kids back to school. Anderson said there always are kids who come without the required school supplies for a number of reasons.

"The kids are going to be overwhelmed" by getting everything on their supplies list, he said. "We're just so lucky to be part of this," he added.

For the full story, click here.

Villa Park charity gives tablets to families of children with autism

Billy Guest's daughter Freya has autism and is nonverbal. But thanks to therapy and technology in the form of her tablet, she is learning and thriving.

That inspired Guest, who lives in Villa Park, in 2020 to start Friends of Freya, a 501(c)3 charity to make sure other kids with autism can thrive.

"Freya, my 5-year-old, is autistic, and seeing her learn so much by using technology has given me so much hope for her and other kids like her," Guest said in an email. "I feel it is important for these kids to have all the tools they need to succeed."

Last year, the charity gave out 60 tablets to kids on the autism spectrum, and Guest hopes to hand out even more.

Families who would like to apply for a tablet can do so online at friendsoffreya.org.

Besides the technology, Friends of Freya also helps families with bonding experiences by paying for tickets for various outings.

For the full story, click here.

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