Heartland Blood Centers will be seeking blood donors on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Senior Services Associates in Yorkville. This blood drive is sponsored by the Yorkville Lions Club. (Photo courtesy of Heartland Blood Centers)

Aurora

12th Annual Hike for Hesed seeking participants

Hesed House’s 12th Annual Hike for Hesed is taking place this weekend, and walkers are still being sought.

Registration for Hike for Hesed is free, but teams and individuals are encouraged to set and meet their own fundraising goals.

The event invites participants to walk alone or with a team of coworkers, family or friends through downtown Aurora, a journey that many individuals staying at Hesed House take daily.

Donations will go to Hesed House in order to help provide shelter, food, life-changing services, hope and dignity to poor and homeless individuals and families in the Fox Valley.

Registration for the hike will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 10 a.m. when the hike officially begins. The hike happens rain or shine. Join in the festivities immediately after the hike for food, live music, and fun activities for the whole family. An individual that raises $25 is given a Hike for Hesed T-shirt at the start of the event. To register, visit http://www.hesedhouse.org/event/hike-for-hesed/

Friends of Stephanie Kifowit host campaign office open house

The Friends of Stephanie Kifowit are proud to announce the official opening of their campaign office headquarters for this election cycle. A kick-off party will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the headquarters, located at 1677 Montgomery Road, Suite 114, Aurora.

“This open house will give supporters the opportunity to meet Stephanie Kifowit along with myself and our volunteers, and hopefully others will become volunteers themselves,” stated campaign manager Nate Sippel. “We are also collecting office supplies, postage, donations and other items that can help us run a successful re-election campaign for Stephanie Kifowit.”

There will be light refreshments served.

If individuals cannot make the campaign open house, there will be a day of action on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for anyone interested in helping out the campaign.  They can simply stop by the office to volunteer. If anyone is not able to make either of these dates, our office is open 7 days a week and volunteers are always welcome to schedule a time.

“No amount of time is too small,” Sippel continued, “if someone has just an hour or two to donate it can help us tremendously.”

For details about this event, visit the website www.StephanieKifowit.org; or contact Nate Sippel at (630) 791-0484 or via email at Nate@StephanieKifowit.org.

Kendall County

Sheriff’s Office launches Correctional Emergency Response Team

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce the development and implementation of the Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT is made up of ten corrections deputies and consists of a commander, assistant commander, two team leaders, and six team members.

The deputies participated in a rigorous selection process which consisted of an interview with the commander of CERT and physical agility testing in order to become members of CERT. Members of CERT will continue to perform their primary responsibilities as corrections deputies while being on call as members of CERT.

The CERT members selected have been training together since the beginning of this year on topics such as dealing with and transporting uncooperative inmates, cell extractions, riot situations, and responding to active shooters. CERT members will be called upon if a situation arises in the jail where the specialized training of CERT members is needed to ensure the safety of corrections deputies and inmates.

CERT members will also respond to the Kendall County Courthouse and Kendall County Health and Human Services building if a situation arises that requires their specialized training to ensure the safety of the public and other county employees.

“The creation of a corrections emergency response team was one of the goals we had for the sheriff’s office. By having specially trained deputies on duty to respond rapidly to situations that require immediate attention will help maintain a safe environment for staff and prisoners. That goal was accomplished through the hard work and dedication of the men and women of this office,” said Sheriff Dwight A. Baird.

Montgomery

Fall cleanup service in Montgomery

Republic Services will provide a free Fall Cleanup service in Montgomery on each household’s regularly scheduled trash pickup day during the week of Sept. 26. On the regular pickup day that week, residents may discard unlimited amounts of trash, yard waste, furniture, appliances and up to four tires (no rims).

All trash must be placed in cans, bags or boxes (not to exceed 50 pounds each) and set in an organized manner at the curb. Brush must be securely tied in a bundle and cannot exceed 4 feet in length and 2 feet in diameter. Piles of loose trash, electronics, demolition material, concrete, metal poles, liquids and hazardous waste will not be accepted.

No stickers are required.This is an excellent opportunity to clean out basements, garages and yards without incurring additional disposal costs.

Please note that items must be at the curb prior to 6 a.m., as crews will not return to pick up items that are placed out later. This service is for Village of Montgomery residential addresses only (not businesses or unincorporated areas such as Boulder Hill).

For questions regarding the Fall Cleanup or any other Public Works services, call the Montgomery Public Works Department at (630) 896-9241.

Oswego

Oswego Police team-up to help seniors

The Police Department is committed to provide the most effective police services to the senior population in the village. Part of this commitment included last year’s creation of a dedicated team of officers, with a focus on how to best serve the 55 and older community, centering on crime prevention and bridging the gap between the senior community and the residents in the village.

Oswego Police will be able to further enhance their efforts and benefit from having an intern from the Aurora University’s Master of Social Work program for nine months. The new intern already has experience in developing and maintaining programs and will create a needs assessment in order to identify the needs of the 55 and older population as well as assess how well the police are meeting those needs.

The intern and officers will be out in the community continuing to work proactively and getting to know the residents. For more information, or have suggestions for the senior team or new social work intern, contact the Oswego Police Department at (630) 551-7300 and ask to speak to one of the officers on the senior team.

District 308 ranks among most improved Chicagoland districts

Community Unit School District 308 ranks seventh among the most improved school districts in the Chicagoland school district rankings, according to a recent analysis from the real estate website Trulia and SchoolDigger.com.

School District 308 rose 24 slots in the regional rankings, from 52 in 2011 to 28 in 2015. The analysis was based on the past five years of test scores and looked at school districts with three or more schools and at least 1,000 students.

For the fifth consecutive year, District 308 students taking the ACT have scored above the state average, with this year logging their highest overall composite score. This year’s SD308 graduating class of 1,205 students posted a composite score of 21.5, which was well above the Illinois statewide composite of 20.8. Moreover, School District 308 students scored higher than the state average in all subjects: 21.2 in English, compared with a state average of 20.5; 21.1 in mathematics, compared with the state’s 20.6; 21.8 in reading, compared with 21.0 for the state; and 21.5 in science, compared with the state’s 20.6.

The Trulia analysis also posted median home values for the 10 most-improved school districts, and District 308’s median home value of $242,963 was the fifth least expensive.

To see the full rankings, go to: https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2016/08/26/chicagolands-improved-school-district-2016/?platform=hootsuite

School District 308 accepting PRIDE recognition nominations

The District 308 PRIDE program is now taking nominations for the 2016-17 school year.

The PRIDE Recognition Program promotes, values, and celebrates individual contributions of excellence. During the academic school year, recognition is given monthly to six individuals: two teachers, two employees, and two volunteers.

Each month, the program recognizes two individuals from each of three separate categories. Two categories represent School District 308 employees (teachers and other staff), and the other represents district volunteers. A committee made up of various district groups and organizations selects the monthly winners.

Each year at the annual all-staff Convocation four winners of the year are announced from the monthly award recipients.

The PRIDE Committee includes one representative from each of the following groups: Oswego Transportation Association (OTA), Oswego Educational Support Professional Association (OESPA), Oswego Custodial and Maintenance Association (OCMA), Oswego Education Association (OEA), district administration, parents, the community, and the Board of Education.

To nominate someone for the monthly PRIDE Recognition award, use the link on School District 308’s website or mail in a nomination form. Details for the nomination process are listed at http://www.sd308.org/pride. Any School District 308 colleague, administrator, student, parent, community member, or alumnus can make the nomination. Self-nominations are not accepted, however.

Yorkville

Blood drive to be held in Yorkville

Heartland Blood Center will be seeking blood donors on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Senior Services Associates in Yorkville where they will be staged all afternoon. Head to 908 Game Farm Road anytime from 3 to 7 p.m. to donate blood and save the lives of patients in our local hospitals. This blood drive is sponsored by the Yorkville Lions Club. For more information, call Bill at (630) 553-0695 or sign up online at www.heartlandbc.org. Walk-ins welcome. Please bring a photo ID and eat a good meal before donation. Donors will receive a free t-shirt.

If you are interested in attending the event, contact Gina R. Dunlap, activity director at Senior Services Associates, at (630) 553-5777.

–Kendall County News Briefs–