Good News Sunday: Miniature golf event raises funds for Des Plaines food pantry

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

Water rushing down the side of a mountain at a mine-themed miniature golf course provided the setting for the eighth annual summer fundraiser for a Des Plaines food pantry.

Held at the Mountain View Adventure Center in Des Plaines, Putt for the Pantry benefitted the Self-Help Closet and Pantry of Des Plaines and gave families and friends the opportunity to have fun while helping a charitable cause.

"Our food pantry has been around since 1971," said Self-Help Closet and Pantry Executive Director Debra Walusiak. "We serve Des Plaines residents by providing food and clothing,"

She said more than 500 households are registered with the organization, an increase of 100 households since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing was being practiced at the four-hour event.

For the full story, click here.

Vernon Hills companies donate supplies

Two Vernon Hills companies helped take a financial burden off families at North Elementary School in Waukegan by providing about 550 students in grades K-5 with free backpacks full of grade-appropriate supplies.

The initial drive-through distribution began last week, but parents still can pick up the supplies this month. Virtual learning began Aug. 17 for students in Waukegan Unit District 60 schools.

Learning Resources and hand2mind announced in July they would provide the school with 600 backpacks containing school supplies, educational toys and resources. The two companies partnered with sister company Educational Insights and the Kids in Need Foundation to provide approximately $350,000 in product-based donations to the teachers and families this year.

North Elementary fifth-grade teacher Samantha Horwitz worked to promote the handout and said parents are very grateful with the generous offering.

"This donation is so important now more than ever. Waukegan is one of the most affected communities in Lake County regarding COVID-19. Our families are doing the best they can to provide for their families but we are all living during a hard time," Horwitz said. "Being able to tell families they don't have to purchase school supplies this year was amazing. It took a weight off of our families' shoulders."

For the full story, click here.

Stevenson grad, volunteers spruce up yards

A team of seven volunteers organized by a 2018 Stevenson High School graduate helped clean up the yards of some Lake County homeowners in high-risk households.

The volunteers were led by Avery Nelson, 20, of Lake Zurich, who came up with the idea of a social distancing yard cleanup event.

"We were able to do eight houses over the weekend of July 25-26," Nelson said.

Nelson said he had been looking for a way to "spread some positivity" during the pandemic.

"I remembered doing something similar with a volunteering club I was a part of in high school," said Nelson, who attends the University of Tampa.

"In the club we had asked different households who we knew were going through a tough time if they would like a yard makeover. We were able to do many different households throughout my four years of high school."

The work was spread over two days at homes in Buffalo Grove and Lake Zurich.

"I have had the privilege of knowing Avery since he was walking around in diapers and have watched as he has developed into the gentleman that he is today," said homeowner Carla Sheppard.

"His work transformed my backyard into an area that I can now enjoy and be proud to host others in."

For the full story, click here.

Fishing tourney honors late outdoorsman

About 130 fishermen honored the memory of a former Lake in the Hills resident at the Connor Kincaid Fishing Tournament in Lake in the Hills.

Connor Kincaid was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman when he died in a car crash in 2016 at 22 years old.

"Connor grew up on this lake," said his mother, Dawn, as she stood in the Connor Kincaid Memorial Garden, a place for reflection on the southern shore of Woods Creek Lake at Indian Trail Park. Connor's young cousins waded in the lake watching their bobbers nearby.

Two weeks after his funeral, his friends and family decided "let's go out and do what he would like to do," Dawn Kincaid said at Saturday's event. So they all fished Woods Creek Lake as a memorial. A year after his death, his family turned the personal remembrance into a community event by hosting a fishing tournament to help fund the cost of restocking the fishing areas of the village. The catch-and-release tournament has drawn as many as 150 people whose $12 dollar entry fee puts their name in a hat for a raffle at the end of the day.

For the full story, click here.

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