Letter to the Editor: Celebrate Service During National Volunteer Week

Naperville Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be submitted to Local Editor Collin Czarnecki at collin.czarnecki@patch.com.

Dear Editor:       Great work and great change are achieved each and every day by the numerous nonprofit organizations that serve our community. What many people may not realize, however, is that volunteers are truly the heart and soul of these organizations. Without them a day would not run as smoothly, the number of people touched by their work would decrease and the visitors and contacts they bring to an organization through networking would be greatly diminished. It’s hard to imagine where DuPage Children’s Museum would be without the aid and dedication of these volunteers. While we try to thank our volunteers every day for what they do, National Volunteer Week, April 21–27, 2013, is a special time of year to highlight and publicly …

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YouTube Picks: Harlem Shake Hits Naperville

From the DuPage Children's Museum to Neuqua Valley High School, the Harlem Shake takes over Naperville.

In the viral world, there is definitely lots of cool stuff going on in Naperville. (Just take a look at this Naperville North High School lip dub if you don't believe us.) Get news in your inbox. Sign up for the Patch newsletter. Like Naperville Patch on Facebook. Periodically, Naperville Patch goes deep into the YouTube archives to scour, scavenge and search for videos highlighting all things Naperville.  This week, it's all about the Harlem Shake. Do you know of a must-see YouTube video that highlights Naperville? Send the link to collin.czarnecki@patch.com and it could be featured next week.

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'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood's' Mr. McFeely to Kick Off DuPage Children's Museum Sweater Drive

Mr. McFeely, the Speedy Delivery man from "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood" will make a special appearance at DuPage Children’s Museum.

DuPage Children’s Museum will sponsor a sweater and clothing drive as a tribute to Fred Rogers and his example of being a caring neighbor. Get news in your inbox. Sign up for the Patch newsletter. Like Naperville Patch on Facebook. The "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood" Sweater Drive will begin on Sunday, Jan. 27 and run through Feb. 28. To help launch the community service project, Mr. McFeely, the Speedy Delivery man from the popular children’s television series "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood," will make a special appearance at DuPage Children’s Museum on Sunday, Jan. 27. During the sweater drive, members of the community are asked to donate new or gently worn sweaters, as well as other clothing items. Receptacles to collect the sweaters will …

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Holiday Giving: 10 Places to Volunteer Your Time

A collection of volunteer opportunities throughout the area.

Looking for a way to give back to the community this holiday season?  From food pantries to local animal shelters, there are plenty of opportunities to lend a helping hand in the Naperville area. Below are 10 great organizations to donate the gift of time. If you or your organization is in need of volunteers for an upcoming event or project, please add them in the comments.   Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry How You Can Help: Loaves & Fishes distributes more than 60,000 pounds of groceries and serves approximately 600 families every week, according to the organization's website. Volunteers work in a variety of areas including distribution, sorting, shelving and office assistance. They must be at least 14 years old. The pantry also accepts …

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Jim Gill's Family Room Tour Set to Preform at Washington Junior High

Award-winning children’s musician Jim Gill will launch DuPage Children’s Museum’s Tiny Great Performances 2012-2013 season on Sept. 29.

Award-winning children’s musician Jim Gill will launch DuPage Children’s Museum’s Tiny Great Performances 2012-2013 season with a concert taking place on Saturday, Sept. 29.  Jim Gill’s Family Room Tour will be held at Washington Junior High School Auditorium in Naperville from 10 until 11 a.m. Seating is picnic style (the audience is advised to bring blankets or mats, no chairs please) and advanced reservations, at $3 per person, are required. Restoration Community Church of Naperville is sponsoring the concert and all revenues will be donated to Exodus World Service, an Itasca-based charity that works with refugee families in the community. “As part of the celebration of the Museum’s 25th birthday year, we are happy to launch the Tiny …

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TRAINS – All Aboard Art! Opens Monday at Children's Musem

Exhibit features interactive materials to help visitors explore trains through art.

All Aboard! Head over to DuPage Children’s Museum Monday for TRAINS – All Aboard Art! Young train lovers can put themselves in the engineer’s seat with an on-board train camera, load cargo onto train cars or design their own tracks at the interactive art exhibit. Through the exhibit, children will enter one artist’s interpretation of trains by role-playing engineer, passenger or conductor in a child-size train based on cubist artist Gino Severini’s “Red Cross Train.” The style and colors in the painting will be reflected in this play train, as well as in a new model train setting. An engine-mounted video camera provides children with the engineer’s point of view as the train travels this brightly colored cubist landscape.  “Young children …

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DuPage Children's Museum Hosts Fifth-Annual Educators Only Open House

Event features wisdom of Mr. Rogers and his continuing legacy in educating children.

Generations of adults who grew up learning about the world around them by watching “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” will be comforted to know the spirit of the television show is alive and well, and DuPage Children's Museum is bringing that spirit to Naperville Oct. 1 from 4-7 p.m. At DCM’s Fifth-Annual Educators Only Open House area educators hear how children can continue to learn from Mr. Rogers. The event features Hedda Sharapan, director of early childhood initiatives for The Fred Rogers Company. Sharapan will present “STEM Learning: From our Neighborhood to Yours” and will discuss how the factory videos from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” helped children appreciate the manufacturing process and many other STEM (science, technology, …

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Donation to Children's Museum to Benefit At-Risk Children and Their Parents

Parents will learn importance of play for their young children at risk, or in need, after donation from women's group initiated by Wheaton woman.

Parents of young children at risk and in need throughout DuPage County will have the opportunity to better understand the importance of play in their child’s development and early learning, thanks to a caring group of local women. Get news in your inbox. Sign up for the Patch newsletter. Like Naperville Patch on Facebook. As a result of a $10,900 donation to DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM), these families will participate in “Play to Learn,” an outreach program that brings the Museum’s portable exhibits and open-ended activities on the topics of Play, Math, Science or Art to families in early-childhood programs at local social service agencies. The donation, from the organization 100+ Women Who Care DuPage, was prompted by group member and …

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Wonderful Wednesday

Nishant Mandapaty: Sparking Creativity at DuPage Children's Museum

Once a visitor to the museum as a child, 17-year-old Nishant Mandapaty now shares his passion for science and math by volunteering at the DuPage Children's Museum.

It wasn’t all that long ago when 17-year-old Nishant Mandapaty was a young kid exploring exhibits at the DuPage Children’s Museum – tinkering with valves and sparking his creativity. And he’s still very much a part of the museum today, but this time he’s the teacher. On any given weekend, you’ll find the Neuqua Valley High School senior helping kids understand math and science concepts by working as a volunteer at the museum. Since last October, Mandapaty has volunteered more than 100 hours with the museum. “When I was a kid, I grew up in Naperville, and I went to the museum,” he said. “I really liked learning the concepts there and going to school a couple of years later and learning some of the same things.” With science and math making …

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DuPage Children's Museum Benefit Ball Raises Nearly $233,000

The DuPage Children's Museum's Champions for Children Benefit Ball was held on April 14 at the Hotel Arista at CityGate Centre and 300 people attended the event.

DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) hosted its annual Champions for Children Benefit Ball on Saturday, April 14 at Hotel Arista at CityGate Centre in Naperville. Presented under the sparkling stars of a dramatic Venetian night, the black tie optional benefit was a glamorous night of live entertainment, unique auction items and special honorees, all to support educating young children. The evening was led by Emcee Judy Hsu, co-anchor of ABC 7 News This Morning.  In addition to raising funds for the organization, the event was an opportunity to honor those who’ve made a large impact in early learning through the Museum. Dorothy Carpenter, who passed away last April and co-founded DCM with Louise Beem, was honored at the Benefit Ball with a …

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