Fox Valley Community Center, 1406 Suydam Road, Sandwich, will host a mattress sale fundraiser for Fox Valley Older Adult Services on Saturday and Sunday March 25-26. (Photo courtesy of FVOAS)

Aurora

New disability wallet card now available

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, joined community leaders on March 13 to announce the unveiling of a new wallet card available to individuals with special needs.

“Many individuals in our community live with special needs and their conditions can sometimes make it difficult to communicate in stressful interactions, for example if a person is driving and gets pulled over by the police,” Kifowit said. “I sponsored this legislation to create a new wallet card to make it easier for law enforcement and first responders to communicate with these individuals.”

Kifowit led a legislative effort to create the Person with a Disability Wallet Card for those who have been medically diagnosed with a developmental disability. Individuals can only receive this card after they have been approved by the Secretary of State’s office for an Illinois Person with a Disability ID Card.

Lori Price, president of the Board of Education in Indian Prairie School District 204 and parent to a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, reached out to Kifowit with the idea of the wallet card. Cards will be available at Secretary of State driver services locations across Illinois.

“I’m pleased that my office is playing a role to help improve communication between first responders and people with special needs,” said Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. “I applaud state Rep. Kifowit and state Sen. Holmes for their efforts to establish this wallet card, which will serve as a simple means to de-escalate high stress situations and help law enforcement keep our loved ones safe.”

Kendall County

Food Pantry adds to board of directors

The new Kendall County Community Food Pantry continues to heal and grow. Eight months have passed since the near-catastrophic blow last June when the former Executive Director resigned and subsequently died of a drug overdose.

“Our overarching mission, caring for our neighbors in need, continues to impact our community,” said Greg Witek, board chairman for the new pantry.  Witek went on to say, “While supplying food is certainly our core mission, we also work to develop sources to solve other needs including clothing, shoes, baby items, and other household goods.  Additionally, one of our most meaningful partnerships continues to be Medical Care.”

Operating since April 2014, the Kendall Free Clinic has had over 500 visits serving approximately 200 different patients. Not one patient has had insurance. Patients have been able to receive primary care services including treatment for diabetes, hypertension and routine health maintenance. Because of a gracious relationship with Edward Hospital, patients have access to diagnostic studies. Edward Hospital specialists have also performed everything from hernia repairs to brain surgery in the treatment of the clinic’s patients.

Time for tick bite prevention

The Kendall County Health Department is warning county residents to begin tick prevention practices now. Due to unseasonably warm temperatures, the health department conducted a tick drag to monitor the presence of ticks as part of the Tick Surveillance Program.

Recently, one surveillance drag yielded 9 adult deer ticks, which is the same total number of deer ticks collected during the entire 2016 surveillance season. The deer tick responsible for carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Ticks live in and near wooded areas, in leaf litter and in areas with piled grass. Ticks are often found waiting in the tall grass and brush for an animal or human to brush against them. Ticks cannot jump or fly. They are often no bigger than a pin head. Ticks are present when the temperature is at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

In order to avoid direct contact with ticks here are a few recommendations. Wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easily detected. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to avoid skin exposure. Always tuck your shirts into your pants and pant legs into your socks. Wear a hat or tie long hair back to avoid tick attachment to scalp.

Additionally, use repellants that contain 20-30 percent DEET on exposed skin and use products that contain 0.5% permethin on clothing and gear. Finally, always walk in the center of the trails to avoid contact with the fringes of tall grass.

After returning from time outdoors, bathe or shower as soon as possible and conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body.

Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.

For more tick prevention information, visit the Kendall County Health Department’s website www.kendallhealth.org or call (630)553-9100.

Mattress fundraiser benefits FVOAS

What is a Mattress Fundraiser? It is a unique opportunity for people to test and purchase a great quality new mattress at a price lower than can be found in mattress stores, department stores or furniture stores. The extra plus is that when you purchase your new mattress at the Fox Valley Older Adult Services (FVOAS) Mattress Fundraiser part of the profits from your purchase are directed to FVOAS to further their great work.

This is a true Win-Win for you and your community. There will be a complete mattress store set up at the Fox Valley Community Center, 1406 Suydam Road, Sandwich (right across the street from the Sandwich Fair Grounds). This sale will be held for 2 days, Saturday March 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The sale will feature over 20 mattresses, meeting the needs of every customer and every budget. Essential Beds have helped thousands to sleep better and feel better. For more information go to EssentialBed.com/FVOASfundraiser, email info@EssentialBed.com or call (815) 378-5189.

Oswego

Police give tips for St. Patrick’s Day partying

As one of the country’s most popular holidays, St. Patrick’s Day has long celebrated the roots of millions of Americans with Irish ancestry. But all-too-often, the celebration can turn deadly because of impaired driving and occupants failing to wear their seat belts.

The Oswego Police Department will be stepping up seat belt enforcement, particularly at night when seat belt usage rates are lowest.

Important tips:

For those interested in hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party:

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you serve is involved in an impaired driving crash.
• Make sure all guests designate a sober driver in advance or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Keep the phone numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving drunk.

For those attending a St. Patrick’s Day party:

• Designate a sober driver before the party begins and give that person your keys.
• If you do not have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home, call a cab, sober friend or family member to pick you up or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive drunk.
• Always buckle up.
• The St. Patrick’s Day “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Crackdowns are funded by federal traffic safety funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is administered through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

District 308 freshmen robotic team competes

Mach Speed, Community Unit School District 308’s freshman robotics team, competed along with 35 other robotics teams from Illinois school districts in the Velocity Vortex competition on Feb. 24–25, at Elgin Community College.

To qualify for the competition, Mach Speed won first place at a regional qualifying event in December.

Mach Speed is one of four rookie First Tech Challenge teams launched by Gear it Forward, Oswego’s FRC team, according to Mona Fechter, assistant coach of robotics for School District 308.

On Friday night of the Velocity Vortex competition, Mach Speed’s robot was inspected. Then on Saturday morning, teams began competing in the qualifying events before being placed in brackets for a full-day competition.

To compete in the competition, each team had to design a small robot that was capable of picking up particles, or small balls, and throwing them into a center vortex.

Although Mach Speed did not place in the competition, the students had a great time and learned a tremendous amount. They also received a celebratory send-off from their classmates the morning of the competition.

The winning teams will go on to compete in a super-regional competition, and the winner of the superregional will go on to compete at the world competition in St. Louis.

Village selling rain barrels to residents

The Village of Oswego, in partnership with the Conservation Foundation, is selling rain barrels.

Rain barrels are large containers that capture storm water from your roof that would otherwise be lost as runoff. Modern barrels are sealed, safe around children, and insect resistant. Users divert water from your downspout to fill the rain barrel. A hose spigot on the front makes the water easy to access and use.

Per the Conservation Foundation, approximately 40 percent of total household water use during the summer months is for watering lawns and gardens. Rainwater is a sustainable solution for watering flowers and gardens, or washing cars and windows.

Orders should be placed before April 18. Rain barrels will cost $55-$60 and can be ordered through the Village of Oswego’s website at www.oswegoil.org. When ordering, select the village of Oswego order form on the right sidebar and choose to deliver the barrel to your home for an additional $5, or choose municipal pick up for no additional charge. Follow the link to place your order – http://www.upcycle-products.com/oswegoil.html

Orders placed prior to April 18 for municipal pick up are to be collected at the Environmentally Conscious Oswego (ECO) Reuse and Recycle Extravaganza on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Oswego Village Hall, located at 100 Parkers Mill. Collect rain barrels from this facility prior to noon on April 22. 

Rain barrels may be ordered for home delivery from now until Christmas.

Please call Mark D. Runyon at (630) 554.3242 or email mrunyon@oswegoil.org for assistance.

Village to host police station groundbreaking

The village of Oswego will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction on the new Oswego Police Headquarters. This event will take place on Thursday, March 23, at 10 a.m. at the new building site located at 3355 Woolley Road, east of the Oswego Fire Protection District Station 1.

Village President Gail Johnson, the Board of Trustees, Police Chief Jeff Burgner, Members of the Police Department and Village Staff will be joined by the building’s design engineers, Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK), as well as representatives from the consulting firm of McClaren, Wilson & Lawrie of Wheaton (MWL) and the construction management company Gilbane Building Company to celebrate the ground breaking. The public is welcome to attend the event.

A new police facility has been a project in the making since 2008. This new facility is intended to be a public safety campus as well as have areas that will be available for public use. It is projected to open in the late summer of 2018.

Yorkville

Public invited to District 115’s annual Fine Arts Festival

The 2017 Yorkville Fine Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Yorkville Middle School, 920 Prairie Crossing Drive, Yorkville.

This annual, free event features the talents of District 115 students in music and art. Artwork will be on display throughout the school, and musical groups will perform continuously throughout the day. Check the website (YorkvilleMusic.org) for a full schedule of events.

The Yorkville Music Boosters will have concessions available for purchase throughout the day, and the Yorkville Art department will be hosting its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Kendall County Food Pantry from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Due to the anticipated large turnout for this event, additional parking will be located in the Yorkville Intermediate School and Circle Center Grade School parking lots. A shuttle bus will run every 10-15 minutes between 8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. between the parking lots and the middle school.

–Kendall County News Briefs–