DRIVES
*Donations of yarn may be dropped off in the Alcott Senior Center, 530 Bernard Drive, Buffalo Grove. Yarn will be used for knitting and crocheting baby blankets, sweaters and hats for donation to Palatine-based Preservation for Human Dignity, a counseling center for pregnancy help and education. For more information, call Terri Ebner at 847-850-2117.
FUNDRAISERS
*The Barrington Lions Club will sponsor a Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament for those 18 and older on Jan. 20 in Docks Bar & Grill, 313 E. Liberty St., Wauconda. Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m. and the first hand will be at noon. Prizes will be based on the number of participants. The entry fee is $150 cash or check and includes lunch. Registration is required. The event will benefit the hearing and visually impaired. Make checks payable to the Barrington Lions Club and mail by Jan. 13 to: Barrington Lions Club, P.O. Box 521, Barrington IL 60011. For more information, call Curt Pulkrabek at 847-381-0954.
*Comedian and WGN radio personality Tim Club will perform at a fundraiser for the Elgin Children’s Chorus Jan. 25 in Boulder Ridge Country Club, 350 Boulder Drive, Lake in the Hills. There will also be a cash bar, dinner, an auction and an appearance by the Elgin Children’s Choristers. Tickets cost $85. Call the box office at 847-622-0300.
*”An Evening in Italy,” an annual pasta dinner to benefit Faith in Action of McHenry County, will be held Jan. 26 in St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 451 W. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. Seatings will be at 5:15 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $8 for children. A raffle for a quilt, a get-away to a Chicago lakeside condo and dinner for two will also be held. Raffle tickets cost $1 or six for $5 and winners need not be present. Proceeds will benefit programs for seniors offered by Faith in Action, a not-for-profit network of religious congregations, community agencies and individuals who provide volunteer services to support independent living for McHenry County residents age 62 and older who live in their own homes or with loved ones. Tickets are available in the Faith in Action offices, 7105 Virginia Rd., Suite 21, Crystal Lake; Holy Apostles Bookstore, 5211 Bull Valley Road, McHenry; McHenry Bank and Trust, 2205 N. Richmond Road, McHenry; McHenry Chamber of Commerce, 1257 N. Green St.; New Life Parable Christian Bookstore, 16 W. Crystal Lake Plaza, Crystal Lake; and St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Call 815-455-3120 or visit www.fiamchenrycounty.org.
*A raffle for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to benefit Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove Village is being held in Real Time Sports Bar and Grill, 1120-22 W. Devon Ave., Elk Grove Village. Only 400 tickets will be sold at $50 each. The motorcycle is on display in Real Time Sports. Call 847-534-5000.
*Volunteens, student volunteers in 7th through 10th grades, are needed in the Gail Borden Library Youth Center, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. Volunteens work one hour a week doing a variety of tasks including using the laminator and die-cut machines. The next session will begin the week of Jan. 14. Students may choose from three time slots: 4 to 5 p.m. Mondays, 7 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 2 to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Register in the Youth Center or online at www.gailborden.info/teen/volunteen(underscore)app.htm. For more information, call Judy Hayner at 847-608-5010.
*The newly formed Park Ridge Parks Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Park Ridge Park District, is seeking applications from residents willing to give their time and talent to the Park District. One of the first projects will be the Jo Herzog Memorial, a bronze plaque that will be purchased in memory of the 25-year Park District staff member who died earlier this year. Letters of interest should be sent by Dec. 31 to: Jim O’Brien, c/o Park Ridge Parks Foundation, 2701 W. Sibley Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068. For information, call 847-692-3482 or visit www.prparks.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
*The Center of Concern in Park Ridge has named Mary Frances Hegarty of the Park Ridge law firm of Hegarty, Kowols & Associates as Partner of the Year. The Center also honored two volunteers from Des Plaines: retired teacher Beverly Conrad and retired Des Plaines city employee Pat Sniezek. The Center of Concern provides housing counseling for older adults.
