The 7th grade “Carp” team at Kennedy JHS, Lisle, has moved beyond “E-Mail” on up to “G-Mail.” A clever mail station, made by one teacher’s father, has made communication simpler from teachers to students and parents. The students were asked to bring in empty Hi-C and Hawaiian Punch cans (to serve as mailboxes); each can was numbered, and then affixed, to a wooden pegboard. All 160 students were assigned their own “G-Mail” numbers to coordinate with the mailboxes.

Teachers send notes home to parents via the G-box. They put worksheets and homework assignments for absent students into them, and often return graded papers to their students. According to team teacher Casey Plackett, “They’re wonderful, and the kids like them as well as the teachers!” Why the G? It is “a tip of the hat” to the teacher’s dad, a retired school principal named Gerner Anderson, who put it all together!

Our newsletter’s called Ripples for a reason. Drop a pebble in the pond, see the ripples go on and on. Our newsletter is our pebble, and we count on you to be the ripples. If you still receive the snail-mail version of Ripples Newsletter, please consider upgrading to the e-mail format. It will be easier to send your ripples on to colleagues and friends, who will make more ripples, as they reach out to others. E- subscribers are the first to get the news, in amazing “technicolor.” You can print out only the pages you need – a resourceful way to reduce waste and save natural resources (from manpower, to fossil fuels, to trees)! Another advantage: all your teammates will have their own Ripples – no need to share the newsletter!

• 3.5 CPDU’s
• SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
• 8:30AM-NOON

• 1.5 CPDU’s
• Thursday, September 21st
• 4:30-6:00pm OR 6:30-8:00pm (RSVP which time works best for you!)

• 1.5 CPDUs
• Thursday, September 28th
• 4:30-6:00pm OR 6:30-8:00pm (RSVP which time works best for you!)

DuPage County Teachers can call 630-545-9710, to register for these free workshops at the Environmental Sustainability Center, Route 53 & Roosevelt Rd, Glen Ellyn

We want to let everyone know that Hank Batzkall, 80, one of our most dedicated volunteers, passed away June 8th. Mr. Crayon, who volunteered 6 hours a day, 3 days a week, was the “captain” of our crayon program. (Groups and individuals donate crayons. The “good” ones are first sorted to be given away. The broken bits and pieces never go to waste: volunteers melt them into crock pots, and then mold “super crayons” for handicapped or special ed kids who can more easily manipulate the large crayons.)

When asked by a reporter to describe him, SCARCE’s Kay McKeen recalled: “After Hurricane Katrina, Hank stayed long hours, so the youngest victims of the storm would at least have crayons. This kind, gentle man took his volunteer duties seriously and came in ‘to work’ until three weeks before he died.” In the last couple of years, word of Hank spread, and several newspapers featured stories and pictures of him. When he died, Hank even made the front page of a few papers with fitting memorials of this generous man. Thanks, Hank; some of us imagine you’ve been given a higher call – as captain of the melting pot at the end of the rainbow.

Speaking of crayons, we truly appreciate all the schools, students, scouts, and everyone who donated so many crayons, books, and more. This year, we had, by far, the greatest number of crayons we’ve ever had to give to the children at the Catholic Charities Back to School Fair!

This annual event provides back-to-school assistance to those DuPage families most in need. Every year, children of all ages visit our booth, where we hand out crayon sets and let the kids choose several books for themselves. This year, approximately 2,000 school-age children (and hundreds more pre-schoolers) attending the fair chose more than 8,000 books for themselves. What a great way to get kids excited about reading, and at the same time practicing the “reusing” part of the 3 R’s.

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the members of BOMA Suburban (Building Owners and Managers Association of Suburban Chicago), we had more school supplies than ever for these kids to choose from, including donated glue, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, calculators, rulers, dictionaries, thesauruses, paper, binders, first-aid kits, hand soap, and too much more to list! Thanks, one and all!

Congratulations to all participants on yet another successful shoe rescue! 2006 marks the first year in which the rescue was able to be held at our headquarters in Glen Ellyn. “Thank you!” to the 63 schools and organizations that held collections that saved 7,405 pairs of shoes from landfills. 2,015 pairs of gently used shoes were donated to local charities – reuse beats recycling! 10,779 single shoes were recycled and made into track and playground surfaces, footballs, frisbees, etc. This would not have been possible without the help of volunteers in sorting, counting and packaging the 30 gaylords (boxes) of shoes. Thanks to you, to Fox River Foods (for donating the pallets) and to NIKE, for their support of this project!

Lights for Learning (LFL), part of the IL ENERGY STAR Light program, is a great fundraiser. Rather than sell candy, gift wrap, or magazines, students sell energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) to raise money for their school, and the program educates both students and community about energy conservation. A CFL can last up to ten times longer than an incandescent bulb while using 75% less energy.

In 2005, 13 Illinois schools earned $10,000 when they sold nearly 2,500 CFLs. Acording to IL ENERGY STAR, the pollution reduction “equates to a lifecycle air pollution reduction equivalent to 216 acres of forest.” In another Illinois community, 6 schools raise funds to keep their gifted program intact. And the CFLs sold are responsible for helping the community save more than $2,800 annually on their energy bills! Lower energy bills as you raise dollar bills – watt a bright idea! For more information, conact Peggy Chamness, 217-785-2765 or pchamness@ildceo.net.

Call us, to match up this fundraiser with our energy bike conservation program to really light up your students’, as well as their parents’, awareness.

Commuter Parking Lot, 5000 Belmont, Downers Grove

Acceptable Items: Mercury, mercury thermometers, thermostats, cleaning solvents, acids, oil-based paints, wood stains and varnish, household batteries, car batteries, automotive fluids, propane cylinders (gas grill size only), pool chemicals, fertilizers/pesticides, poisons/insecticides, fluorescent light ballasts, fluorescent light bulbs, asbestos, unused/expired prescription medicine.

SCARCE always accepts cell phones (working or not, with or without batteries, chargers, etc. Donate what you have). Some phones are refurbished and reused by those in need, others are properly demanufactured and recycled. In addition to keeping the cell phones from the landfill, this rescue raises funds needed by SCARCE to keep the doors open at the Book Rescue, Tools for Schools, and the Crayon Rescue projects. These projects are funded solely by donations. Thank you.

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