ECC’s 6th Annual Diversity Recruitment Fair is scheduled for March 21

The Elgin Community College’s 6th Annual Diversity Recruitment Fair is scheduled for March 21, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Visual & Performing Arts Center (VPAC) of Elgin Community College. Meet hiring managers to learn about employment opportunities for full-time and adjunct faculty, and other positions at the college. Workshops on various job search techniques and topics will be offered.

Learn more on the ECC website.

Sign up for free books, and be entered to win book ends!

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is celebrating 3 years in the Elgin area in February! This program sends free books monthly to all Elgin, South Elgin, Pingree Grove, Hampshire, and Burlington children who sign up. Any child from birth to 5 years old with a home address in those towns can sign up!

And if you sign up in February, you will be entered to win these adorable train bookends. How’s that for a win-win?

Sign up online now or download the registration form to mail it in! Your children will receive their first free book within 8 weeks, and then one book every month until their fifth birthdays. And be sure to sign up every child you have eligible in the age range, as they will all get unique books addressed to them each month!

The purpose of the program is to foster a love of reading and learning in children at a young age. This will help them enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. Learn more about the program.

Blackhawks Tickets entries! Still time to enter!

We are giving away 2 Blackhawks Tickets and a parking pass to a Facebook fan who uploads a picture to our wall with “Live United” in it and tags themselves. Read the contest details—and enter by next Friday, November 18. So far we have had some great entries! Here are a few:

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Visit our Facebook page to upload your entry! Remember, to enter, you have to post the picture to our wall and tag yourself—if you upload it to your wall and tag us we are unable to see it! We are excited to see your entries! Enter once per day for multiple entries to win! And remember, it’s a random drawing of all entries, so be as creative or as simple as you want with your picture!

Facebook Fan Appreciation Giveaway: Blackhawks Tickets!

We are excited to be running our Facebook Fan Appreciation Giveaway through November 18! This time with a major prize: Blackhawks tickets! Just by uploading a picture to our wall and tagging yourself, you can win 2 tickets to a January Blackhawks game (value $170) with a parking pass (value $25, park right next to the United Center). Enter up to 5 times (once per day) to give yourself more chances!

A generous United Way supporter and Blackhawks fan and season ticket holder has donated these tickets—and he must really like both United Way and the Blackhawks, because the seats are incredible—Section 219, Row 5, Seats 3 and 4. The view from the seats is shown below:

The winner will have a choice of 3 games: January 10 vs. the Blue Jackets, January 18 vs. the Sabres, or January 24 vs. the Predators. These tickets will make a great, entertaining night for you or an incredible Christmas gift for a loved one!

All you have to do is:

1. Like United Way of Elgin on Facebook  
2. Post a picture to our wall with you wearing a Live United shirt or holding a Live United sign. (If your shy, post a picture of your dog with Live United, your child, your fish. We’re not picky!)
3. Tag yourself in the picture and in the caption mention that you want to win Blackhawks tickets!

Pretty simple way to put yourself in the running. Check out our wall to see other people’s pictures!

Instructions for uploading a picture and tagging yourself:

1. Go to Facebook.com/Unitedwayelgin and be sure that you “Like” us.  If you haven’t, simply click the large “Like” button at the top of our page.
2. Click “Photo” at the top of our wall.
3. Click “Upload a Photo” and find the image where you have saved it on your computer.
4. Where it says “Say something about this photo” write something about wanting to win Blackhawks Tickets as a fan of United Way of Elgin!
5. Click the photo where it posted on our wall, and then Tag yourself by clicking “Tag Photo” in the lower right corner.
6. Click your face within the photo, and where it says “Type any name”, begin typing your name and select it when it shows up beneath the box.

That’s it! Remember, enter up to 5 times (on 5 different days)!

Happy posting!

Day of Caring 2011 Pictures!

On September 10, 2011, hundreds of United Way of Elgin volunteers gathered throughout the community to kick off our 2011/2012 campaign by volunteering at Day of Caring! This year, volunteers completed 35 different projects throughout the Elgin area. These projects ranged from outdoor landscaping and yard clean-ups to indoor painting and providing lunch and fun for social service agency clients.

In case you missed it when it was posted on our Facebook, you can see a picture slideshow from our Day of Caring below. Thank you to all of our volunteers!

Projects were completed at Projects were completed for the Association for Individual Development, All People’s Interfaith Food Pantry, Boys & Girls Club of Elgin, Boy Scouts of America Three Fires Council, Community Crisis Center, Easter Seals of DuPage and the Fox Valley: Jayne Shover Center, Ecker Center for Mental Health, Elgin Child and Family Resource Center, Family Service Association of the Greater Elgin Area, Feeding Greater Elgin, Housing Authority of Elgin, Northern Illinois Food Bank, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Army Golden Diners, Senior Services Associates, Two Rivers Head Start, Well Child Center, YWCA Elgin, City of Elgin Parks & Recreation, Hanover Township Food Pantry, and Harriet Gifford Elementary School.
For updates on future projects, join our elist.

Hot Weather Tips

Summer weather is here!  Use these tips to stay cool during the hottest days:

• Stay cool—Stay out of the direct sun and heat. Spend as many hours as possible in a cool place. Minimize physical activity. Take cool baths or showers; use cool towels. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose fitting clothing.
• Drink plenty of water/natural juices—Cool drinks help to replenish fluid losses due to increased perspiration in high temperature. Drink at least six to eight glasses of fluids every day. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they cause your body to lose more water. Keep a few bottles of water in your freezer—if the power goes out, move them to your refrigerator and keep the doors shut.
• Eat regularly—Prepare easy, cool, light items. Fresh vegetable salads, tuna and meat salads, fresh fruit mixtures, whole-grain products and cheeses can all contribute to cool, nutritious summer meals. Hot soups and casseroles and other products served hot can make you warmer. Avoid using cooking ovens. Avoid using salt tablets, unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Develop a buddy system with family, friends, or neighbors—Develop a personal support network of people who will check in with you at least twice a day throughout warm weather periods and plan how you will help each other in an emergency. Watch for signs of heat stroke and/or heat exhaustion. Call for help when needed.
• Plan Ahead—Ask your doctor about any prescription medicine you keep refrigerated (most medicine will be fine to leave in a closed refrigerator for at least three hours). Make plans for any animals and pets. Keep a battery-operated radio on hand to hear news reports and a flashlight handy for lighting. Remember extra batteries. Do not use candles because they are fire hazards. Cordless phones may not operate during power outages so keep a corded phone handy or plugged in to another jack.
• Keep Cool—Close your curtains and windows in the morning to keep the sun and heat out of your home. Open windows and doors at night to cool inside temperatures. Keep electric lights off or turned down. If you don’t have air-conditioning, leave your home and go to a cool, safe place such as a senior center or shopping mall.

Call 911 if you or anyone you know needs medical attention.