Wonderful Wednesday

Donna Swanson: Simple Gifts Making a Big Difference

Donna Swanson, a social worker at the Naperville Police Department, is the founder of The Simple Gifts Foundation, which helps families in need and provides programs for children with special needs and their families.

Donna Swanson always wanted to have her own foundation so she could make a difference in peoples’ lives. A self-proclaimed “giver,” Swanson was a full-time social worker who was aware of the needs others had and decided to create an organization that could make a difference one simple gift at a time. Whether providing fun activities for kids with special needs or helping fill the needs of families that may be struggling, her nonprofit The Simple Gifts Foundation, seeks to make a difference. “We are a simple gift in someone’s life,” Swanson said. “We are a small helping hand. We are here to help in peoples’ lives.” In 2003, while she was working as the director of social services at the West Chicago Police Department, Swanson said she saw …

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Weekend Grab Bag: Last Fling, Impact Remix and Skaters' Picnic

Time for a long weekend of fun. Here is the lowdown on some of the events happening this weekend.

Labor Day weekend is here. Time to celebrate the end of summer with a fun filled weekend. As everyone knows in Naperville, it’s time to enjoy the last fling with the Last Fling, but there are other activities happening. How will you spend the three-day weekend? Here are a few ideas. The Scoop: It’s Labor Day Weekend and time once again for music, food (maybe a corn dog or two) and family-friendly fun. Of course this event happens all weekend long! Inside Info: The event features a Family Fun Land and some free performances. Some of the headliners include Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson. Tickets must be purchased for the main stage acts and ticket prices vary. Don’t miss the Disney fun for the young ones. The Scoop: Time to plan the …

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Christian Community Church's 'Friday' Parody Becomes YouTube Sensation

Video for the church, which has a Plainfield campus, has received 1.4 million hits.

Rebecca Black's "Friday," the YouTube video phenom, has spawned dozens of parodies, and among the most popular is Community Christian Church's "Sunday." In a video that's almost identical to the one it's imitating, "Sunday" features Sadie B. singing about the joys of going to church on Sunday and the upcoming Easter services. As of this Sunday morning, it had received 1,461,550 hits on You Tube and received mentions in TV Guide, Time magazine online, Comedy Central's Tosh.0 blog, Christian Post and other online sites, according to the church's Web site. Community Christian Church has a campus in Plainfield at 13731 S. Route 30 as well as in Yorkville, Montgomery, Naperville, Lincoln Square, Romeoville, East Aurora, Shorewood and Lemont. …

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Precious Cargo: Shoes Go a Long Way in Helping AIDS Orphans

Community Christian Church donates 6,000 pairs of shoes to support education for orphans in Tanzania.

Words escape Providence Rubingisa as he closes the back of a Penske moving truck. Rubingisa is driving off with what appears to be a truck full of garbage bags gathered at Community Christian Church in Naperville. In reality, the 46-year-old Wheaton resident is carrying precious cargo. The cargo are shoes — 6,000 pairs to be exact. Rubingisa is collecting the used sneakers, boots and heels to ship to Africa to raise funds to educate AIDS orphans in Mbwewe, Tanzania. Once the shoes arrive in Africa, small businesses will sell them to middle-class families that might otherwise wear plastic bottles as shoes. Rubingisa's operation doesn't stop there. For every container, which holds about 24,000 pairs of shoes, shipped to Africa, Rubingisa's …

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