The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 389

Page 5 NEIGHBOR Sunday, October 27,1996 03- Quilting club blankets at-risk children with love, comfort BY-KAREN KUTZ Daily Herald Staff Writer The women who volunteer with Mary Jo Johnson say she would give you the shirt off her back. "She's a very giving person," said Gail Witt, a member of the Meadowlarks Quilt Club, a group of mostly seniors that Johnson founded under the auspices of At-risk Babies Crib Quilts. The Lombard club meets every Friday to make quilts for babies born with health-related problems or drug addictions who reside in hospitals, hospices, orphanages or foster care. Now in its second year, the group has sewn and given away more than 350 quilts. Johnson, the owner of Granny's Goodies Attic Shops in Elmhurst, donated the start-up materials.

As word about the quilts spread, contributions of finished quilts, money, cotton fabric, batting and other supplies began pouring in from area churches, companies and private donors. The group is seeking grant money to cover the cost of shipping usually funded by Johnson or hand-delivered by the volunteer quilters. "My shop is a depot for the completed quilts," Johnson said. "Whenever Pop (Larry Johnson) and I have enough money, we ship them to the recipients." Before they are sent, the quilts are marked with a tag that says, "May love and comfort surround you'." Then two volunteers at Elmhurst Lexington Square add VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES DuPage County residents have ChoiC dflVS many opportunities to pitch in and volunteer. Here are a few ideas: Meals for seniors DuPage Senior Citizens Council is seeking volunteer drivers to deliver meals to homebound seniors in the county, particularly in Bensenville, Lisle, Wheaton, West Chicago and Warrenville.

Volunteers are responsible for picking up the meals at a designated senior dining center and are given a route that takes approximately one hour to complete. They may volunteer as often as their schedules permit. DuPage volunteers deliver more than 900 home-delivered meals to homebound seniors each weekday. The hot meals are served during the noon hour from the council's 23 dining centers scattered across the county. For details, call (630) 620-0804.

The DuPage Senior Citizens Council and members of the Lombard community are sponsoring Fall Community Chore Days from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday and Nov. 9. Volunteers will do light yard work for senior citizens including raking, trimming, garden cleanup, bundling twigs, mowing and window washing. Senior homeowners are eligible for Chore Day if they are not able to complete their yard work or do not have family members who are able, and they are living on a limited income ($18,000 or less annually for single seniors and $20,000 or less for couples)Organizers are looking for at least 300 volunteers from throughout the For more information on this event call the DuPage Senior Citizens Council office at (630) 6200804.

Pearl Wozniak, left, sews the binding on a quilt made for at-nsk babies. Wozniak and more than 25 others voluntee for the Meadowlarks Quilt Club, which meets Fridays at the Madison Meadow Receation Center in Lombard. finishing touches. Louise Shannon of Lombard said the women often think about the children who will receive the quilts after they work on them. 'You just hope that maybe it will add a little comfort to their lives," Shannon said.

At one point, the club took a field trip to visit some original quilt recipients, Johnson said. "We came to a the Haake Diag- nostic Center in Park Forest, and these are all infants and children "on oxygen tubes, and in each of those beds was one of our quilts," she recalled. "For some of these kids, this is all they've got." "The joy that these girls get from doing what they do is immeasurable," Shannon said. Johnson said she hopes one day to have a surplus of quilts that can go to local police departments and be used whenever police see a need. Meanwhile, the group can't keep up with the demand.

"There's always a need for quilts somewhere," said quilter Pearl Wozniak. The Meadowlarks Quilt Club is open to all ages. The group meets from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Lombard Park District's Madison Meadow Recreation Center, 543 E. Taylor Road.

DuPage County Girl Scouts get pumped up about getting in shape BY JOAN-MARIE Moss Daily Herald Correspondent DuPage County's Girl Scouts more than 17,500 of them are canoeing, hiking, swimming, jumping rope and biking as part of a yearlong emphasis on sports. The Girl Scouts of DuPage County Council is taking part in the national Girl Scouts sports initiative, "Sports Girls A Winning Team." "The Girl Scouts of DuPage County Council has spent the last year developing a program that provides more than 25,000 opportunities for members to participate," said Leslie Worcester, program specialist for the local council. "A high percentage of those activities include age-specific sports activities, including ski events, biking, horseback riding, swimming and other sports, as well as programs on nutrition and health," she said. The idea, of course, is to encourage the girls to have fun. "Our focus is to make sports doable and fun for all girls," said Betsy Maloney, program center director.

"We're stressing participation, not winning." "Not everyone is, or wants to be, an athlete," Worcester said. "We know that and so have made every effort to include all levels of interest. Our events are wheelchair accessible, and we plan lots of activities that enable girls less athletically, inclined to discover that winning is as much a result of team cooperation as individual excellence." The high point of this year's sporting activities will be the seventh annual Dannon Sprinkl'ins Kids Triathlon, which is held in conjunction with the Mrs. T's Chicago Triathlon at the lakefront park between Montrose and Foster Avenue. The event, the largest triathlon in the United States, will take place Aug.

23. "Girls are already signing up to participate in that event," Maloney said. "Our sports activities throughout the year are designed jto pre- pare for that event while teaching girls basic skills and lifelong fitness habits that they will be able to use throughout their lives," she said. But there's plenty more on tap for the girls. The Elmhurst Family YMCA scheduled three "Bunk-Ins" for the Girl Scouts to begin their physical fitness regime.

"At all these overnight events, girls will participate in swimming, aerobics activities in the gym and ice skating under the stars," said Deb Doyle, a representative of the and a Girl Scout volunteer. "They'll learn about first aid, nutrition and fitness. At tKe Bunk-In in February, older girls will also learn about the latest exercise equipment and the steam room that are also available on site," she said. The $16 fee for each all-night event includes a badge, sports patch, food and craft materials. Each Bunk-In will accommodate 100 girls.

In April, 400 girls are slated to learn jump rope tricks from the Rope Warrior, David Fisher. That program will take place at Wheaton college. Throughout the year, girls will be given the chance to learn about canoeing, rappelling, skiing, skating and other sports that will en- able them to warm up and get into shape for participation in the Chicago triathlon. Girl Scouts are learning a lot more than just sports this year. "The girls designed their own sports patch and have given their input about the kinds of programs that they are most interested in participating in.

They also learn essential planning and budgeting skills as they choose the activities that best suit their interests," Worcester said. "Each year, we offer more than 25,000 opportunities for girls to participate in special interests and activities, both on an individual or troop level," she said. For more details, call (630) 9636050. TODAY Carving wood: The County Historical Museum will offer wood carving from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today at the museum 102 E.

Wesley Wheaton. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission and all museum events are free. For details, call (630) 682-7343. Art reception: An art reception for Dr. and Mrs. James Arient will be from 2 to 4 p.m, today at the North Central College Oesterle Library gallery, 320 E.

School Naperville. Gallery visitors will be able to meet the Arients after viewing "The Arient Family Collection" works of American folk quilting artist Sarah Mary Taylor. The quilt exhibit will remain on display in the gallery through Thursday. For details, call (630) 637-5300. MONDAY Get the point: The Lisle Park District will offer senior flu shots from 1 to 3 p.m.

Monday at the Meadows Center, 5801 Westview Lane. The fee is $10 or Medicare card. details, call (630) 969-0992. Support group: HeartShare, a self-help group for people who have experienced any type of cardiac event, will meet from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Monday at the Edward Cardiovascular Institute, 120 Spalding Drive, Suite 208, on the Edward Hospital campus.

For details, call Edward Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation at (630) 5273388. Halloween parties: Halloween parties for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds will be at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday and at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at the Aurora Public Library, 1 E.

Benton St. Halloween stories, films and refreshments will be featured. No registration is required. For details, call the Young People's Department at (630) 896-9761. TUESDAY Health program: The Women's Health Center at Copley Memorial Hospital will offer an educational program to explain treatment options for urinary incontinence at 7 p.m.

Tuesday in the Alumni Conference Center on the lower level of the hospital, 2000 Ogden Aurora. For details or to register, call (630) 978-6700. 'Ask the Nurse': As part of an "Ask the Nurse" program, nurses from the DuPage County Health Department will answer senior citizens' health-related questions from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Riverwalk Community Center, 305 W. Jackson Naperville.

For details, call (630) 357-9000. Haunted Forest: The Lisle Park District will offer a Haunted Forest from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Community Park, Yackley and Short, Board a hayride for a ride through a forest of shrieks and chills. The fee is $5 for ages 4 and older, $3 for ages 3 and younger. For details, call (630) 964-3410.

WEDNESDAY Infertility: The Rush-Copley Center for Reproductive Health, a program of the Women's Health Center at Copley Memorial Hospital, will offer "New Advances in Infertility Treatment," from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Holiday Inn, 1801 Naperville. For details or to register for this free program, call (630) 978-6700. School improvement: Naperville Unit District 203 officials will discuss how the district uses its School Improvement Plans during a presentation from 7:30 to 8:30 Wednesday in the administrative center, 203 W. Hillside Road, Naperville.

A smashing good time: The DuPage Children's Museum will offer a "Smashing Mash" workshop from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 1777 S. Blanchard Road, Wheaton. Children ages 3 and older can create a three-dimensional work of art by mixing a batch of recycled paper fibers. There is a $1 material fee per child in addition to museum admission.

General admission is $4 per person. For details, call (630) 260-9907. Theater: The Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre of Chicago will perform Shepsu Aakhu's play, "Other World Lovers," at 7:30 pjn. Wednesday at North Central College, Smith Hall, 30 N. Brainard Naperville.

The public is invited to attend this free performance. For details, call (630) 637-5300. Fright night: The Summer Place Theatre of Naperville will present "Late Night Fright," an R- rated Halloween storytelling event for high school age and older at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Naperville Cultural Arts Center just west of the McDonald's Food Pavilion along the Naperville Riverwalk. Parking is available at the Centennial Beach lot or the Aurora Avenue lot across from Naperville Central'High School.

Tickets are $5 at.the door and are on a first-come, first-served basis. No one younger than high school age will be admitted. For details, call Diane Ladley at (630) 717-6586. THURSDAY Halloween Happening: Fairies, ghouls and pioneer types will be on hand during Halloween Happening from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Naper Settlement, 201 W.

Porter Naperville. Fairyland features favorite fairytale characters and make-believe places. Scaiyland will feature traditional Halloween activities and scenes, including a haunted graveyard, a bit of magic and ghostly goblins on the loose. Prairieland will include characters from the 19th century. Settlers and Indians will entertain visitors with stories and songs.

Children are encouraged to take their decorated pumpkins with a candle and a label to Halloween Happening for the display. Halloween Happening is held rain or shine. For details, call (630) 357-9000. Scare me: Smugglers Cove will offer a House of Scare haunted house from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday at the golf center one block north of Ogden Avenue and one block west of Route 59, Aurora.

Admission is $6. For details, call (630) 820-0444. Fun Fest '96: Calvary Church will present Fun Fest '96 from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the church, 9S200 Route 59, Naperville. The event for children 2 years old through fifth grade includes games, prizes, the Super Slide, a Moonwalk, popcorn and a special speaker.

Each child will go home with a bag of candy. Participants are asked not to wear costumes. Admission is $3, plus a bag of candy. A portion of the proceeds will help the food pantry. For details, call (630) 851-7000, ext.

218. 'The Boys Next Door': Waubonsie Valley High School will present "The Boys Next Door" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the auditorium, 2590 Ogden Aurora. Tickets are. $4 for students and $5 for adults.

For details, call (630) 851-7900. Single dads: Registration is due Thursday for Area Services' "Single Fathers Group" that will meet from 7 to 8:30 pjn. Tuesdays, Nov. 5 through Dec. 3, at 27W031 North West Chicago.

Topics will include positive discipline, how to balance work and time with children, finding daycare and caring for a sick child. The cost is $30 for all five weeks. For details, call Nicole Dulak at (630) 231-7166. Explaining the Holocaust: Christopher Browning, a history professor at Pacific Lutheran University, will discuss "Explaining the Holocaust Perpetrators: Ordinary Men or Ordinary Germans?" at p.m. Thursday at the White Activities Center, 325 E.

Benton Naperville. The public is invited to attend this free lecture. For details, call (630) 637-5300. FRIDAY Holidazzle: The Edward Foundation will hold the seventh annual Edward Foundation Holidazzle from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday in the lobby and auditorium of Edward Hospital, 801 S. Washington Naperville. For details, call the Edward Foundation at (630) 527-3954. Oompah: St. Athanasios- Greek Orthodox Church will hold a Greek Food Fest from 5 to 9 p.m.

Friday, from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the church, 1855 E. Fifth Aurora.

Activities include church tours, a marketplace of Greek items and homemade baked specialties. Visitors may dine in or carryout gyros, saganaki, pastisio, souvlaM, mousaka, loukoumathes and Greek pastries. Admission is free. The Church is three miles west of Fox Valley Mall on McCoy Drive (Fifth Avenue) in Aurora. For details, call (630) 851-6106.

'Edward Energizers': The Edward Health Fitness Center will offer a four-week Energizers" class Friday and Nov. 4 and 12 at the center, 775 Brom Drive, Naperville, on the Edward 'Hospital campus. Classes also will take place at the Edward Healthcare 130 N. Naperville Road, Bolingbrook. A variety of days and times are available.

This class is specifically geared for active older adults. Low-impact movements will focus on light cardiovascular conditioning along with basic strengthening, flexibility and joint mobility exercises for the knee, hip, shoulder, fingers, back, neck and ankle. There is no cost for Edward Health Fitness Center members. Fees vary for nonmembers. Space is limited, and registration is necessary.

For details, call the Edward Health Fitness Center at (630) 717-0500. Just like Mom made: The Lisle Park District will offer a class in cookie baking for children ages 3 to 5 from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Fridays, through Nov. 22, at Meadows Center, 5801 Westview Lane. Each baker receives a recipe book and a sample to share.

The fee is $25. For details, call (630) 964-4310. Blind me with science: The Lisle Park District wfll offer Super Science Stuff from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Fridays, through Nov. 22, at Meadows Center, 5801 Westview Lane.

Using common household ingredients and objects, children ages 3 to 5 will learn about the world. The fee is $20. For details, call (630) 964-1310. Traveling through time: North Central College Theatre wfll present "On the Verge or the Geography of Yearning" at 8pm. Friday and Saturday and Nov.

and 9 at Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Naperville. This is a new comedy blending time travel with a good-humored look at 20th century American culture. It is written by Eric Overmyer and directed by JackPhend Advance tickets may be purchased from 8 a.m. to 5 p.ni in the White Activities Center, 325 E.

Benton Ave. Tickets cost $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and students. For details or group tickets, call (630) 637-5372. Antique sale: The 28th annual Napervftle Heritage Society Antiques Show and Sale will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday, 11 am to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 ajn. to 5 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Merner FJeW- house, 450 S.

Brainard Naperville. Tickets are $6 at the door. For details, call the Heritage Society at (630) 420-6010. SATURDAY Grab a rake: The Naperville Park District is looking for community groups, families, school clubs and other organizations to lend a hand at this year's Great Rakeathon from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 pm Saturday and again Nov.

9 at area park areas, including the Riverwalk, Centennial Beach, Kroebler Park and Burr Oak Park. For details, call (630) 357-9000, exL643. New baby: Edward Hospital will offer "New Baby in Our Family," for soon-to-be big brothers and sisters years and older. The class is offered for children 2V 2 to 4 years old at ajn. Saturday or Nov.

16 at the hospital, 801 S. Washington Children 4 to 7 years old are invited to attend a class at 10:30 a.m. on the same dates. One parent must attend the class with the child. The fee for the class is $10 per family- Registration is required.

For details, call Edward Hospital at (630) 961-494L Magnetic fim: Children ages 5 to 9 can design their own refrigerator magnets from 10 to 11 ajn. Saturdays, through Nov. 23, at the Lisle Park District's Meadows Center, 5801 Westview Lane. The magnets will be made from dough, clothes pins, fun foam and fabric. The fee is $25.

For details, call (630) 964-4310. Carving soapstone: The Lizzadro Museum or Lapidary Art will present Soapstone Carving from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the museum, 220 Cottage Hill, ElmhursL Lorel Abrell will teach participants 10 years and older how to carve soapstone. The cost is $3.50 for beginners, $450 intermediates. For details or to register, call (630) 833-1616.

College life: Prospective North Central College students can attend a special visit and registration day beginning at 9:15 a.m. Saturday in the Larrance Academic Center, 309 E. School Naperville. A financial aid presentation will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by a campus tour at 10 ajn. For details, call 637-5300..