A Special Invitation -- Voices In Harmony

Sunday, April 19 – 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. --

Enjoy a lovely afternoon tasting sumptuous wines and sampling delicious tapas-style food at Tapas Calpe, 133 W. Main Street in Cary!

Tickets are $35 and include 12 wines to sample (a lively variety of reds and whites) and a lovely buffet featuring caprese bruschetta, baked ham, spanish meat, deviled eggs, and more. Like a wine you sampled? Buy a bottle to take home or give as a gift! Want another glass? A cash bar will be open in addition to the tasting. Musical entertainment will be provided by Viva Voce, an a capella ensemble of Voices in Harmony.

A portion of the ticket sales and additional wine sales will benefit Voices in Harmony.  We would love to see you there!

Algonquin Talks Trash April 30 For Small To Medium Sized Businesses

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County and Teagen Andrews Commercial Recycling Program Advocate from Ecossential Solutions Inc. are hosting Algonquin Talks Trash, a community event on the benefits of small business recycling.

 

 Algonquin Talks Trash is scheduled for April 30, 2015 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Ganek Municipal Center 2200 Harnish Drive, Algonquin 60102. 

 The event will highlight strategies to help small- to medium-sized businesses save money with environmentally sound waste management practices. Recycling and reusing materials in a business is an easy way for business owners to cut waste management costs while benefiting the environment.
 

The branding company Landor Associates found that, “77% of consumers say it is important for companies to be socially responsible.” This social responsibility includes the company’s environmental impacts and the steps taken to minimize environmentally harmful operations
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The event is open to all businesses and residents of Algonquin and the surrounding communities.  We will also be joined by Algonquin city officials and waste haulers for a wide-range of dialogue

What else is  in store: A review resources available to cut waste management costs for small- to medium-sized businesses, interaction time with Waste Management and Groot representatives regarding the actual costs of business recycling, community discussions on the benefits of commercial recycling, networking while enjoying food and beverages, free entry ticket to the Algonquin Small Business Raffle per attendee.

Small business owners interested in starting a recycling program will be provided with actionable information such as the Defenders’ Small Business Recycling Pamphlet and opportunities for Defenders’ business memberships. Business owners can also talk to a Sustainability Consultant from Ecossential Solutions Inc. for additional information on the pros and cons of commercial recycling.

Come celebrate Algonquin’s continued efforts to promote environmentally beneficial business and community goals and close out Earth Month with a great step forward for Algonquin’s Small Businesses!

New Executive Director of Workforce Programs At MCC

McHenry County College welcomes David Matts of Crystal Lake as executive director of Workforce, Community and Business Programs. He replaces Catherine Jones, who left MCC to take a position at a four-year university.

In his role at MCC, Matts directs the development, implementation and evaluation of community and workforce programs and events, including customized training and Shah Center operations. 

  

 “It is great to be working in the McHenry County area, where I have called home for over 20 years,” Matts said. “I am pleased to be a part of MCC and I look forward to the opportunity to build on existing relationships in business and industry to meet the training and education needs of our area workforce."

Before joining MCC, Matts was the director of Continuing Education at the College of Lake County since 2010. Before that, he was director of inside sales at Deluxe Corporation in Crystal Lake for 10 years. He also is the former assistant vice president of Sales Support and Shareholder Services for four years at Scudder Kemper Investments in Chicago, where he also advanced from inside sales representative to manager in three years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.

Microchip Saves Your Pet -- Clinic Slated

Your pet has a better chance of being reunited with your family if it has a microchip for quick identification and a current rabies vaccination/registration record.  McHenry County Animal Control & Adoption Center (MCAC) will host a rabies vaccination and microchip clinic from 11am-1:30pm on Saturday, May 2, at its Crystal Lake facility, 100 N Virginia Street (intersection of Woodstock Street and Route 14). First come, first served. Doors will open promptly at 11am – NO EARLY BIRDS. Please do not bring animals that are in heat. All pets must be leashed or in carriers.

Rabies vaccinations are $10 for one year or $25 for three years.  Registration tags are required by law; registration fees are separate and required at time of rabies vaccination. Discounts for senior residents apply and for pets who have been previously spayed or neutered when purchasing registration tags.  Microchips are $15.

Rabies vaccinations provide your pet with the best protection against this fatal disease.  Unlike dog tags and collars which can fall off or be removed, microchips are a more

permanent form of pet identification.  Animal microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are typically implanted just beneath the surface of the skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to receiving vaccination through a needle.

Adoptions ($80) will also be available and include age-appropriate vaccinations, spay/neuter, FELV & FIV testing, microchip, heartworm and free 1st Veterinarian visit at participating veterinarians.  To view available pets, visit

Show the Environment Some Love

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (EDMC) will again conduct a recycling drive on Saturday, April 11^th from 9a.m. until noon. They will be in front of the Soil & Water Conservation District building at 2222 S. Dean Street, just south of Route 14, in Woodstock. The Defenders recycle materials that are not collected in curbside recycling but would be harmful to the environment if put in a landfill.  It costs them to recycle these unusual items and therefore monetary donations of any size would be appreciated from everyone who brings materials to the drive. 

EDMC will take household batteries (alkaline & rechargeable), car batteries, fluorescent tubes, clean Styrofoam™, VHS & Cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, packing peanuts and re-usable, unpopped bubble wrap. Electronics, such as computers, televisions, phones, printers, clean microwaves, and electronic toys, are accepted. TVs and computer monitors will be accepted for a donation of $10-$35. (Become a new member of EDMC at the recycling drive, at the Basic or higher level, and get two coupons to recycle a television or monitor for FREE!)

USAgain Clothes Collection System (http://www.usagain.com) will be providing a truck at each EDMC drive to accept any kind of cloth items—clothing, linens, or just plain rags, clean and bagged.  They will also accept shoes, tied together by their laces and placed in the bag. 

There are additional drop off sites for electronics:  Algonquin Township Road District 3702 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, 847-639-2700 X6, Computer Recycling Center in Crystal Lake (computers only) 815-455-6300 (call for information) and Lakewood's electronics drop-off site at 6570 Haligus Road, south of Ballard Rd. Also, Styrofoam can be dropped off any time at the Lakewood Village Hall or the Lakewood Public Works building on Haligus Road.

EDMC will accept donations of aluminum cans at all recycling drives to help fund their educational and advocacy programs.

Defenders’ recycling drives are held on the second Saturday of each month, alternating between McHenry in odd-numbered months and Woodstock in even-numbered months.  Area residents may drive up and drop off their recyclables with Defenders’ volunteers, who help to unload and sort the materials.

For more information about the recycling schedule and types of materials accepted, or to access the Green Guide recycling directory which is put out annually by the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC, visit the Defenders’ website at http://www.mcdef.org/recycling, or find them on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalDefenders.

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. The group provides the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation. Donations are encouraged and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.  For more information, visit www.mcdef.org or call 815-338-0393, Monday-Thursday, 11am-4pm.

Paralegal Classes At MCC

McHenry County College is offering eight-week paralegal classes in the fall that count toward an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Paralegal Studies. Anyone interested in training for a career as a paralegal may attend any of the following Paralegal Information Sessions that will take place at the college: from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, Scot Room, located in Building B, near the cafeteria; Monday, May 4, Room B166-167; Wednesday, May 20, Room B166-167 or Wednesday, June 17, Room B166-167.

At each information session, attendees will meet program faculty, learn more about career opportunities, and receive details on applying for Fall 2015 semester.

The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake. For more information about MCC’s Paralegal AAS degree, visit www.mchenry.edu/paralegal or call (815) 479-7728 or (815) 455-8996.