With $4,049 donations to date, we are 67% towards our goal with two weeks left to go until the race!  This means that our team has made two of our three team fundraising goals.  Since we met these goals, our runners will get top quality running shirts from Brooks Sports to use on race day, and they will get to enjoy a designated team space in the Charity Hero tent on race day.  

This also means six new learners, like Margarita pictured below, can receive tutoring to gain the English skills they need to survive and thrive in our community.

(Margarita, in the center, with her tutor David and a fellow learner)

Margarita's Story

Margarita moved to the US from Mexico with her family because of limited options for her children’s futures and concern for their safety.  Margarita explains, “In Mexico, it was unsafe.  I didn’t want that life for my children.  Here, it is hard but safe.” She enjoys living in the US with her family without having to constantly worry about her children's safety, but she wants more for her children than to simply survive.  Margarita believes in the power of education to provide a brighter future for her children, yet she feels like there is little she can do to support them with their education with her limited English skills.  Margarita recalls attending a meeting with her youngest son's kindergarten teachers, not being able to understand them, and feeling overwhelmed. 

Margarita has worked with David, a Literacy DuPage volunteer tutor, for the past six months to improve her conversational skills.  David has been impressed by Margarita's dedication to learning and her rapid growth.  Margarita already notices a significant improvement with her English.  She shares, “I feel like I can be there for my youngest son.” 

The money we collect through this fundraising campaign gives hope to learners like Margarita who are seeking a brighter future for their families.  Our tutors empower our learners through literacy, equipping them with the life skills they need to pursue their dreams.

On behalf of Margarita, our other learners, and their tutors, thank you for your support.  You have made a life-changing difference in our learners' lives.  With only two weeks left in this campaign, join us for our final lap towards our fundraising goal.

4th Raffle Winner

Our winner for the 4th raffle is Therese McManus!  Therese, you have won a performance by a trio of Irish musicians from the Murphy Roche Irish Music Club.  You will be put in touch with them shortly.  We hope you enjoy it!

5th Raffle Sponsor

Our final raffle sponsor is Jeans & a Cute Top Shop.  Jill Card opened the first shop in Wheaton in 2009 to create a warm, inviting space where women of all ages, shapes and sizes could find on-trend clothing and accessories.

You never have to shop alone (unless you prefer it, which is great too!).  Friendly associates will help you find the right denim and create contemporary outfits that fit your lifestyle and flatter your body type.  They’ll take your style to the next level by pairing the perfect necklace, scarf or boots, all affordably priced so you can leave with a complete look without breaking the bank.  They currently have locations in Wheaton (210 West Wesley Street), St. Charles (161 South 1st Street St.), and Downers Grove (5116 Main Street). 

Every $25 donation between October 1st and 23rd gets you a free entry for two raffle drawings for a $25 gift certificates from the Jeans & a Cute Top Shop.  The gift certificates can be used at any of their locations.

We only have about a month to go until the Naperville Marathon Races.  For those of us training for the half marathon with the Naperville Running Company, we hit 9 miles on Saturday.  For many of us, we have never run this distance before.  Without the wonderful support of fellow runners like those above, we could not have have come so far. 

Good luck to all of our team members as we prepare for the next month.  We can do it!

3rd Raffle Winners

Our raffle winners for the $25 credit certificates from Frugal Muse Books, Music & Video are Gail Clark and Ana Aguilera-Duncan!  Congratulations, and thank you so much for your donations!  Thank you Frugal Muse for your partnership in promoting our program during Literacy Awareness Month (September), and thank you for supporting our team.

4th Raffle Sponsor

Many of you know Dave Reynolds as a volunteer with Literacy DuPage or one of our runners on Team Laps for Literacy.  What you may not have known is that he is an accomplished Irish musician and a former winner of a Midwest Irish music competition.  To show his generous support for Literacy DuPage and to our team, he has has offered his talent and the talents of a few of his friends for an amazing prize (valued at $150!) for the winner of our next raffle drawing:

A trio of Irish musicians from the Murphy Roche Irish Music Club will come to your home with a 6-pack of Guinness and provide 45 minutes of exceptional entertainment for your friends and family.

Every $25 donation from September 15th to the 30th gets you one raffle entry for this prize.

Click here to view a 3-minute sample of what you can enjoy.  Your reputation as a party host will soar with a performance of fine Irish music in your very own home (and we bring a 6-pack to start the party).  This offer is limited to Illinois residents, and the date is negotiable.  (If you're not an Illinois resident, give the gift to a friend!)  Don’t delay!  Donate today!

Founded in 1997, the Murphy Roche Irish Music Club (Burr Ridge, Illinois) is a non-profit organization for people of all ages and musical skill levels who perform, want to learn, or just enjoy Irish traditional music. It has just been nominated for the Chicago Innovation Award for innovative teaching.  The club is affiliated with the international organization of Irish Musicians, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (pronounced "kol-tus kyol- tori air-in").

At our office yesterday, Margaret, project specialist and our resident jack-of-all-trades, drew the winner for our second Laps for Literacy drawing. 

Congratulations to Laura Temple!  You have won a basket of seasonal crops (approximately 3/4 bushel), locally grown at the Green Earth Institute’s organic farm, located at the McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Road in south Naperville.

Thank you to our sponsor, Green Earth Institute, and thank you Margaret for your assistance.

3rd Raffle Sponsor

September is Literacy Awareness Month.  Please visit our Facebook page and share our posts.  Help us to put a spotlight on adult literacy needs in our community and what we can do to address these needs. 

To join us in celebrating Literacy Awareness Month, Frugal Muse Books, Music & Movies (7511 Lemont Road, Darien, IL 60561) has taken up the baton to be our third raffle sponsor.  They have offered two prizes!

Every donation of $25 between September 1st and 15th earns you a free entry for two raffle drawings for a $25 credit certificate from Frugal Muse.  We will have two drawings for two separate winners.

Frugal Muse is one of a handful of truly local and independent bookstores in Chicago's western suburbs.  It has a wonderful collection of new and gently used books, music albums, and movies, as pictured below.

Frugal Muse not only serves as a sanctuary for book lovers and music and movie aficionados, it also serves as a community hub for creative people of all stripes.  It provides monthly Open Mic nights and unique events, like the Commemoration of Roald Dahl's 100th birthday on September 17th (2-5 pm).  Please show your support to a community gem by purchasing your next book there!

2nd Raffle Sponsor

To help our team keep our momentum going with our fundraising, Nature's Best Cafe has offered to throw in a second prize if we can double the $300 that we have raised so far by Aug. 15th: a free ice cream party!  An ice cream party for you and your friends will get you 6 scoops of Homer's (award-winning, locally-crafted) Ice Cream or frozen yogurt (with probiotics).

Getting to $600 will be a great first milestone for us, as it means that we have raised enough money to support one learner in our program for a year. 

Please donate $25 by the 15th for a chance to win a prize from Nature's Best Cafe.  Your donation makes a life-changing difference.

Team Update

Our team of runners are five weeks into training for the Naperville Marathon Races with the Naperville Running Company.  The picture below shows team members Sang and Dave after finishing six miles together with the run/walk group.  Our group enjoyed a lively conversation about Ireland and Irish music during our run.

We still need more runners for Team Laps for Literacy!  It is also not too late to receive free training with the Naperville Running Company with our team.  Please contact Sang at [email protected] if you are interested.

Every $25 you donate to Team Laps for Literacy from August 1st to the 15th will get you a free raffle entry for a Pizza Party at Nature's Best Cafe!   Click here to visit their website.

Pizza Party = 4 delicious pizzas (or substitute a pizza with a sandwich or a salad)!

Nature's Best Cafe (1904 Brookdale Rd #104, Naperville, IL 60563) is a "Farm to Table" restaurant, offering wood-fired pizza, innovative sandwiches, and fresh salads.  They also offer gluten-free options for almost everything on their menu, free wifi, and toys and games for the whole family!  With your donation, you will not only support Literacy DuPage,  you will be raising awareness of an awesome local, independent restaurant, with the chance of winning a Pizza Party there.