United Way volunteer opportunity in Elgin

Don’t know about age restrictions on this one, but could be a great work project!

Live United Tshirt

17th Annual Day of Caring Breakfast Kickoff

The Day of Caring is fast approaching!  With over 30 projects on tap for our volunteers to complete, this is shaping up to be one of our best years ever.  Remember, the day begins with our Campaign Kickoff Breakfast, graciously hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino.  After the breakfast and program, volunteers will depart to locations around Elgin to paint, clean, plant, mulch, build, and bring smiles to local social service agency staff and clients.

When: Friday, September 9th.  Breakfast doors open at 7:30AM.

Where: Fox River Room, Grand Victoria Casino

Please RSVP to ekojzarek@uwelgin.org if you haven’t already!  Breakfast space is filling up fast, and we want to make sure you have a seat at our table!

Hope to see you there,

Your friends at United Way

Martial Arts in Elgin

Last week was birthday week in our house. And, as much as I love planning parties, I don’t mind a break now and then. So, I was thrilled that one of my daughters requested to have her party hosted at a martial arts facility to which she had earned a free party.

Before I share about our wonderful experience let me give you a peak into the behind the scenes activity. I called and set up a time for the party  and a couple days later received a phone call from the gentleman that would lead the class during the party. He asked, “Do you homeschool?” Of course, I told him we did. To which he responded that he had been homeschooled through high school. That got me excited right off the bat. But, that was only the beginning.

Kim’s Black Belt Academy hosted a well organized party. They took care of the RSVPs, followed up with people we had not heard back from and kept me in the loop every step of the way.

They made the cupcakes and lemonade, and filled the pinata. They kept the kids happy and moving for an hour and a half and even gave me the list of gifts and givers.

So, from the party stand point this was a great place to go. All the girls had a great time and they learned some new skills. Most of them had little or no martial arts experience, so this was a first for them. They all did a great job giving it a good effort and the instructors really helped them do their best and feel comfortable.

Oh, and they even video taped the party and sent out the video via email. How great is that?

I wanted to share about this not just so you would know about a great party place, but because they would like to start a martial arts class geared toward homeschoolers. After the quality experience we had with everyone there I was happy to share about this opportunity.

If you are wondering if this could be for you they even have a free trial option. You can set up a time to have a private lesson and get comfortable before you actually join a class.

They make an intentional effort to teach more than physical fitness. Kyuki-do focuses on character development as well. On their website they say this:

At our academy, we use the martial arts as a vehicle to develop the following traits in a child:
– Self-Esteem
– Self Discipline
– Focus and Concentration
– Confidence
– Physical Fitness
– Leadership
– Courtesy and Respect
– Positive Attitude
– Enthusiasm
– Teamwork
– Goal Setting
– Self-Control
– Better Listening

Many of these came up in just the short time that we enjoyed our party there. A series of classes would just deepen the growth in these areas. If you are looking for something fresh to add to your physical education for the upcoming school year I would encourage you to check out Kim’s Black Belt Academy. They have two locations, one in downtown Elgin and the other on the west side of the city, both with the same focus of building confident kids.

Dual enrollment available through Judson

Here is info on an upcoming informational meeting for those interested in dual enrollment at Judson. This is available to high school juniors and seniors.

Learn how your high school student can earn college credit while still in high
school – and pay a fraction of the cost of the regular tuition fee. Attend Judson
University’s upcoming Prep Information Night on Monday,
April 11th from 7:00 to 8:30pm at Judson University.

Use the following link to register for this event:
http://www.judsonu.edu/content.aspx?id=13355

Judson is located just south of I-90 on Rt. 31 in Elgin. This event will be
taking place in the Marjorie Thulin Performance Hall in the Thompson Fine Arts
Center. Go to www.judsonu.edu for a campus map.

Questions? Call Jaimee Bartha, Director of Student Success at (847) 628-2514 or
jbartha@judsonu.edu.

Judson’s a great place for your student to earn college credit and get a taste of college in
the process!

For more information on their program:

Basic info on their Prep Program

Courses available

Planned schedule for the meeting

Registration form

Swimming classes

Elgin and Elk Grove have homeschool swim and/or gym classes. Other park districts offer theses as well, or are willing to if you just ask and have a small group ready to enroll.

Many of the classes I come across started because a homeschooler asked or initiated it. It is amazing what people are willing to arrange for you if you just ask, so grab a couple other homeschool families and explore your options!

Elk Grove:
Home school swim lessons are starting up again at the Elk Grove Park District in September!

The fall session will be 8 weeks, beginning the week of 9/14 and ending the week of 11/2.
The cost is $58 per student (which is a great deal at only $7.25 per class).
New this session will be an open swim in the Lagoon for all the kids enrolled in the lessons.
This open swim time is included in the cost.
That means you are getting a 40 minute lesson AND 30 minutes of open swim. Not to mention a great opportunity to make new friends and meet up with old ones. (Thank you Deb D’Onofrio ).

Here’s how it looks:
Tuesdays
12:30 – 1:10 Lesson A: #71935
*1:15 – 1:45 Open swim for those enrolled in lessons A & B
1:50 – 2:30 Lesson B: #71936

Thursday
1:00 – 1:40 Lesson C: #71937
*1:40 – 2:10 Open swim for those enrolled in lesson C

Register online @ www.elkgroveparks.org
Or call 847/593-6248 –pool office
Or the Pavilion Front Desk 847/437-9494

*You don’t need to register for the open swim since it is included in your lesson cost.
Please note that we do need a minimum of 10 students per lesson and a minimum of 4 students per swim level (maximum is 6 students per level/teacher). Classes and/or levels may be canceled or combined due to low enrollment.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Deb D’Onofrio at 847/690-1406.

Elgin:

Hey Home Schoolers—we have the perfect way to add physical
fitness and socialization time to your curriculum. Our Gym & Swim
program features a one-hour swim lesson and one-hour physical
education class each week. A variety of sports and cooperative
games will be played in our gym time. Meet in the gym on first day!!
Fee: $54R/ $64NR
Time: 1:00—3:00pm
Days:

9/14-11/16 Tues

9/15-11/17 Wed

9/16-11/18 Thu

This program is for youth ages 5-15 years

Free class for families

From the Elgin YMCA: Fit-n-Fun Class for Families

In an effort to strengthen the health and well being of
families in our community we have developed a program
that offers a three part class for families to incorporate
healthy habits (physical activity, choosing healthy foods,
family time) into their everyday lives.

We build Strong Kids, Strong Families &
Strong Communities

Special points of interest:

  • Free Family Membership while participating in the class! (New Members ONLY)
  • Healthy Cooking How To’s
  • Snack and Meal Planning
  • Family Play Time Ideas
  • Group Sharing
  • End of Class Tips & Tricks
  • Cooking Guide
  • Support of Other Families

*This Class will be held in English with Spanish translation via headset!!

*Children 4-12 will have the option to participate in Nutrition and Fitness Activities Class targeted for their activity and age level.

This is a 3 -Part Class, all Classes are held on Saturdays
from 3-4pm at the Taylor Family Branch YMCA.

  • 1st Class February 20
  • 2nd Class March 20
  • Final Class April 24

Registration is required!!

To register:

  • by phone call Jennifer Alberts at 847-888-7410 x33
  • by email at jalberts@elginymca.org
  • online at www.elginymca.com
  • visit the Taylor Family Branch YMCA located at 50 N. McLean Blvd.