Harriet Ellwood will be one of the women discussed at the kick-off of Local Lores lecture series March 24 at the Ellwood House Museum.

COUNTY 

Nonprofit groups can register for countywide fundraiser 

Nonprofit groups can now register to participate in Give DeKalb County 2017, a 24-hour fundraising event, which will be held May 4. Give DeKalb County is coordinated by the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership, a program of the DeKalb County Community Foundation. During this giving day, donors can support local nonprofit organizations by making donations online or in person at the foundation.

The previous three giving days have raised $773,265 for nonprofits that work to enhance the quality of life in DeKalb County. A bonus pool of $49,000 has been raised so far and each donation made during Give DeKalb County is boosted by a percentage of these bonus funds. The bonus pool is made possible from the generous support of Community Partners, including DeKalb County Community Foundation, State Farm – Keicher Insurance Agency, Morningstar Media Group, The Suter Company, IDEAL Industries, First Midwest Bank, KishHealth System – now a part of Northwestern Medicine, the Keleher Family Endowment Fund, Dan and Kathy Schewe, and Lynne Waldeland.

Nonprofit organizations have until April 7 to register as a participating organization to get donations. For information about becoming a Community Partner or how else to contribute, contact DCNP manager Ben Bingle at (815) 748-5383 or ben@dekalbccf.org.

Former NFL player Watts to speak to Kishwaukee YMCA 

Psychologist, author and former NFL player Robert Watts will be the featured speaker at the Kishwaukee Family YMCA’s annual Community Awards dinner May 11. He will speak about the role the YMCA played in his life while growing up in New York City.

Each year, the awards honor community members who help to improve life in DeKalb County. Awards include the Youth Leader Award, the Emerging Leader Award and the Outstanding Community Leader Award. The deadline for nominations is April 7. Nomination forms and dinner tickets can be found online at kishymca.wixsite.com, or by contacting Development Director Debbie Madeley at (815) 756-9577 or dmadeley@kishymca.org

The dinner will be at 5 p.m. May 11 at Faranda’s Banquet and Conference Center, 302 Grove St., DeKalb. Dinner tickets cost $100. All proceeds will go to the Kishwaukee YMCA annual fund.

Bowling party to raise money for children 

Family Service Agency of DeKalb County invites the community to support Bowl for Kids’ Sake, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program’s largest annual fundraiser.

Funds raised allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to make more mentoring matches and provide ongoing support for mentors, mentees and families to help sustain long successful relationships. Bowlers collect pledges from their friends and family. They then bowl with their team on one of the five nights of the event. Money raised from this event will go directly to supporting the one-to-one mentoring matches in the local community.

The event features a “Rock & Bowl” theme March 12, at Idle Hour Lanes in Sandwich. Each night of the event will be filled with team competitions, family fun, prizes and raffles. All bowlers receive one game of bowling, shoe rental, a 2017 Bowl for Kids’ Sake T-shirt, a coupon for a two-scoop Culver’s sundae and a chance to win door prizes. Event registration and fundraising can be done online. To join Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2017, visit www.fsadekalbcounty.org or contact Jenée Jeanblanc at (815) 758-8616 or jjeanblanc@fsadekalbcounty.org to request more information, sign up to bowl or make a donation.

DeKALB 

Local Lore lectures begin with open house 

The Ellwood House Museum will kick off the second year of its adult lecture series, Local Lore, with an open house at noon March 15. The public is invited to the museum for a free preview of the series’ programs, hors d’oeuvres and a meet-and-greet with presenters.

Each month – March through November – a knowledgeable guest speaker will present a one-hour program relating to DeKalb County history. Lectures are free to attend and take place in the Ellwood House Museum Visitor Center, 509 N. First St., DeKalb, unless otherwise stated.

The first lecture of the series will be at noon March 24. The program is titled “The Women behind the Big Three: Harriet Ellwood, Lucinda Glidden and Sophia Haish.” This program will be presented by Ellwood House curator Tricia Runzel, Glidden Homestead Executive Director Rob Glover and Haish descendant Jessi Haish LaRue. The public is encouraged to bring a sack lunch to the program.

To see the Local Lore schedule, visit ellwoodhouse.org/learn. For information, contact Tricia Runzel at (815) 756-4609 or trunzel@ellwoodhouse.org.

This year, Local Lore is being presented in partnership with DeKalb area historic sites and museums, including Glidden Homestead, Gurler Heritage Association, Egyptian Theatre, Joiner History Room and DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association. The series is funded in part by the Mary E. Stevens Concert and Lecture Fund.