Wilderness Journal
Tree Sale Donation Spotlight: ELF
Since 2008, the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses have donated over $14,000 to the Elementary Learning Foundation (ELF). This has all been done with proceeds from our annual Christmas tree sale. ELF’s mission is to raise money for Park Ridge and Niles schools and give it back in the form of grants that support innovative, imaginative, educational programs.
Grants
For the 2016/2017 school year ELF is implementing a number of projects through its grants. These grants are listed below. Additional information can also be found at http://www.district64elf.org/grants.html.
- Active Learning Environmental Makeover at Lincoln School
- 2nd Grade 21st Century Learning Environment at Washington School
- Kindergarten Ready Set Work at all Elementary Schools
- Portable PA System at Emerson School
- Early Childhood at Jefferson School
Casino Night
Saturday, January 28th is ELF’s big fund raiser and we encourage all to participate. It will be held at Café La Cave located at 2777 S Mannheim Road in Des Plaines, Illinois. The festivities start at 6:30 pm. It should be lots of fun! To sign-up for Casino Night please click on the following link.
http://www.district64elf.org/casino-night.html
The Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses proudly support ELF.
Tree Sale Donation Spotlight: The Center of Concern
In March, the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses Federation board will allocate the tree sale proceeds to benefit local charities and community organizations. Members must provide their nominations to their Tribal Chiefs by January 31st. The nominations will be discussed at the February board meeting and chosen at the March board meeting.
This year we would like to spotlight where some of our past donations have gone to show the impact that the tree sale has in Park Ridge and the surrounding communities. We will start with the Center of Concern who the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses has partnered with for many years on a number of charitable endeavors. Our connection with the organization starts with John McNabola who is the Executive Director of Center of Concern. John McNabola and his family have been involved with the PR Wilderness Princesses for many years and we are proud to count the McNabola family among our members.
The Center of Concern is a non-profit organization that offers services and solutions to seniors and the disabled to help them live safely and independently with dignity. Their programs emphasize housing and support services. The impact that the Center of Concern has on people’s lives is significant. Some of the wonderful services the the Center of Concern provides include:
- In Home Support
- Telephone Reassurance
- Friendly Visiting
- Chore Assistance
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group
- Inter-generational Programs
- Employment Counseling
- Financial Counseling
- Legal Counseling
- Medicare and Senior Health Insurance Program
- Income Tax Assistance
- Blood Pressure and Sugar Testing
- General Housing Assistance
- Homelessness Prevention
- Home Share
We would like to welcome members to visit the Center of Concern’s website to explore how to get involved. The organization will be hosting its annual Blarney Bash fund raiser this March which will be a fun event and a great way to get to know the Center of Concern. You may also contact the Center for Concern directly at 847-823-0453 or concern@centerofconcern.org.
The Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses are a proud supporter of the Center of Concern.
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Thank you for another successful Christmas tree sale!
The 2016 tree sale raised over $25,000 in profits that will go to local charities and community organizations. This is the largest amount every raised through the sale, which has been a Park Ridge tradition for decades. To achieve this, Tree Masters Terry Jolineau and Joe Ott spent countless hours planning logistics, working with our tree grower Dave Wilson, coordinating with the Park District, and often working under harsh conditions to achieve such a successful Christmas tree sale. Thank you Terry and Joe for all of your determination and hard work!
A special thank you goes to all of the dads, Scouts and Princesses who participated in this month long event. Each Nation and each Tribe in Park Ridge helped with the building of the tree racks, the tree delivery, selling the trees, and then dismantling the tree lot. The generosity of the members of the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses is truly amazing.
Thank you to everyone who purchased a Christmas tree from us. We take pride in the quality of our trees and we hope that you and your family enjoyed your Christmas tree to the fullest. We thank you for returning year after year to support the community.
Congratulations to all on a successful Christmas tree sale!
The Christmas trees have arrived.
Dads arrived Saturday morning at 8:00 am to unload the trailer, set-up the tree racks, and erect the tent for the upcoming annual Christmas tree sale. Dads returned early Sunday morning to unload three semi trailers carrying over 750 Christmas trees. This is a massive undertaking. Tree Masters Terry Jolineau and Joe Ott masterfully organized and managed the all volunteer crew. Dads completed the set-up in record time on Saturday and Sunday.
A special thank you goes to all of our volunteers this weekend. Without these dads help, this Christmas tree sale would not take place. All proceeds are donated to local charities and other non-profit organizations. Since 2008, the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses have donated over $125,000 to help the community.
The Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts & Princesses Support Compass to Care
Join the upcoming run/walk to benefit Compass to Care and help fight cancer. The event will take place Saturday, October 22nd at 8:00 am in Hodges Park. As a participant you will receive a free t-shirt. There will be kids races and a post-race party. It i free for childhood cancer survivors.
Website: www.Cancer5k.org