Turner official to speak at King breakfast

College of DuPage, in partnership with Benedictine University and Nicor Gas Company, will present the 19th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, on the second floor of the Krasa Center at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road in Lisle.

This event will feature a keynote presentation by Timothy W. Goodly, senior vice president of human resources for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). Based in Atlanta, Goodly is responsible for the development of human resources policies and procedures for Turner’s domestic entertainment, animation and young adult and news networks and businesses. Goodly served as an officer in the United States Army and earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point, an M.B.A. at Tulane University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Development (OD) at Benedictine University.

Tickets for this event are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Corporate Sponsorship tables, with seating for eight, are available for $2,000. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call the McAninch Arts Center at (630) 942-4000 or visit www.cod.edu/mlk.

Clothing not needed for tornado victims

The City of Naperville’s efforts to collect clothing for downstate tornado victims has ended. Instead leaders in the affected communities are asking for financial support to rebuild.

Several relief funds have been established to provide aid to victims of the tornado. A Washington Tornado Relief Fund has been set up at Morton Community Bank. 

For more information call (309) 284-1365 or (309) 266-5337.  A Diamond and Coal City Tornado Disaster Fund has been set up through Mazon State Bank. For more information contact (815) 634-2777.  If you donate through the Red Cross you must state that your donation is specifically for the Washington Tornado Relief Fund or the Diamond & Coal City Tornado Disaster Fund. 

Clothing donations that are dropped off at the Municipal Center will remain in Naperville to assist local shelters. 

Naperville property to be new activity center

The Naperville Park District Board of Park Commissioners, the Board voted to approve the purchase of a 5.2-acre property at 1760 Quincy Ave. as a site for a future activity center for the community late last month.

The estimated budget for the activity center is no more than $23 million, including $2 million for the land purchase and all phases of development. Funding for the center will come from the District’s current revenue sources and from reprioritizing some of its capital projects.

Key community needs driving the planning of an activity center include the need for accessible year-round recreation for health and wellness, the lack of indoor space for seniors and the special needs community, and the need for active recreation opportunities for families, teens and the increasingly diverse cultures within Naperville.

For more information about the future activity center and about the Naperville Park District, visit www.napervilleparks.org/activitycenter

Green Room Improv in Elgin on Dec. 7

Improv Saturdays with GreenRoom Productions hosts 1 1/2 hours of complete improvisation, a la Whose Line is it Anyway? on Dec. 7 at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

GreenRoom’s improvisers take audience suggestions and true-life audience stories and turn them into hilarious theatre pieces. Performances held the first Saturday of the month. For Tickets call (847) 931-5900 Genral Admission: $12 adults $10 students/seniors.

Maintenance work at North Aurora library

Exterior maintenance work is now being performed on North Aurora’s Messenger Library.

The Library Board of Trustees approved and authorized that the following work be performed on the library facility: cedar siding maintenance/repair/replacement as needed, cedar siding re-staining, and exterior stucco white panel E.I.F.S. maintenance/repair/recoating. 

Funds to pay for this exterior deferred maintenance project are from the Library’s reserve fund ($54,300). 

For further information on this project contact: Kevin Davis, Library Administrator at (630) 801-2345 or e-mail: director@messengerpl.org.

COD adds Chinese language study abroad

College of DuPage has added a new study abroad language immersion program to Xi’an, China, which will take place from Thursday, May 22, to Monday, June 23, 2014.

This program, hosted by Xi’an International University, offers nearly five weeks of immersion in the language and culture of China. In addition to daily Chinese language classes, participants will experience China’s rich cultural history through excursions to Beijing to explore Tiananmen Square and the maze of palaces and gardens of the Forbidden City, as well as a visit to the Great Wall of China. 

Through this trip, students will have the opportunity to up earn seven semester credits in Chinese and Humanities courses. The program cost of $4,099 covers airfare, excursions, classes and materials and housing on the Xi’an International University Campus. Tuition for the additional semester credits is extra.

For more information on this learning opportunity, please call (630) 942-2356 or email fieldstudiesaide@cod.edu. 

DuPage offers expertise to areas hit by tornado

The DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has provided an emergency management coordinator to assist municipal and county officials recovering from tornadoes that struck Illinois last week. 

While DuPage County did not receive significant damage from Sunday’s storms, many other counties did. 

Currently, DuPage County has provided one of their emergency management coordinators to assist in the recovery efforts.  Additional staff and materials are available to be deployed, if needed.

For more information about the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, including how to sign up to receive real-time updates during county-wide emergencies, visit www.protectdupage.org.

WCC Workforce Center among nation’s top 50

Waubonsee Community College’s Workforce Development Department has been named among the top 50 institutional partners of ed2go, a leading provider of online learning for adults. The company works with more than 2,100 colleges, universities and other organizations across the nation each year.

Waubonsee began offering professional development courses in conjunction with ed2go in 2003.

So far this year, Waubonsee has seen 80 enrollments in its short-term courses, with computer software classes being among the most popular. 

An additional 45 enrollments have been in the career training programs.

“The essence of being a Top 50 Partner College means collectively joining forces to reach communities of learners,” said Joshua Cruz, ed2go Account Manager.

For more information on Waubonsee’s online offerings through ed2go, visit careertraining.ed2go.com/waubonsee.

Suburban News Briefs is compiled from news sources and submitted items.