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Community Corner

On May 18, Nicor Volunteers Come Together To Give Back to 15 Northern Illinois Communities

Nicor employees join forces to celebrate 17th Annual Volunteer Day.

Since 1997, Nicor employees have dedicated the third Saturday in May for Volunteer Day as their way of giving back to the local communities where they live and work.

On Saturday, May 18, hundreds of employees, family members, and friends will honor their commitment to volunteerism and one the company’s core values – generosity of spirit — by performing a variety of community service activities. From outdoor beautification, to constructing houses for low-income residents, to sorting food at local food pantries, 18 projects will be performed benefitting 15 cities and towns across northern Illinois.

Locally, they'll be right here at the Northern Illinois Food Bank, 273 Dearborn Court, Geneva.

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Employees from Nicor Gas, a local natural gas distribution company, will be joined by employees from Nicor Home Solutions, an unregulated provider of appliance protection plans and other home related services and Nicor Enerchange, provider of natural gas to commercial and industrial customers in the Midwest primarily in the northern Illinois market, to complete the community enrichment projects, which are much more than painting fences and raking leaves.

“Volunteer Day reflects the collective spirit of our Nicor companies,” said Beth Reese, president of Nicor Gas. “For the last 17 years, our employees have dedicated personal time on a Saturday to demonstrate their dedication to our communities and help make our world a better place for everyone.”

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Volunteers will complete projects in the following communities:

  • Volunteers will spruce up the Hesed House, a homeless shelter at 680 S. River Street, Aurora.
  • Volunteers will help beautify the Mooseheart Child City and School inBatavia by planting flowers, cleaning up trails and painting a horse corral.
  • A team will tackle energy-efficient renovations alongside McLean CountyHabitat for Humanity volunteers at a new renovation project in Bloomington.
  • More than 50 volunteers will assist with landscaping outdoor spaces and painting marcfirst, group homes for individuals with mental and physical disabilities in Bloomington.
  • DeKalb volunteers will return to the Salvation Army Food Pantry at 830 Grove Street to plant a community garden and perform outdoor cleanup.
  • Benefiting Downers Grove area women’s shelter, volunteers will take on a painting project to freshen up the common areas. This project is sponsored by the AGL Resources women's group, Inspire.
  • At Connections for the Homeless in Evanston, volunteers will help prepare a home for a new family by performing weatherization tasks and painting.
  • Geneva volunteers will sort and organize food at the Northern Illinois Food Bank at 273 Dearborn Court.
  • Our volunteers will give a fresh coat of paint to and spruce up The Dixie House on Dixie Highway in Harvey for Restoration Ministries, a group that provides social and human services for underprivileged families and individuals.
  • Joliet volunteers will tackle a little spring cleaning and will help organize the Morningstar Mission retail stores and warehouse at 350 E. Washington St.
  • Volunteers will clean up the property at Cornerstone Group Home, a short-term, residential group home for boys, ages 13-17, in Lisle.
  • Naperville volunteers will pitch in to plant and landscape the property around the 60-acre McDonald Farm run by the Naperville Conservation Foundation.
  • At the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, about 25 volunteers will mulch and trim bushes along the property, and plant flowers in large outdoor planters.
  • Lending hands to Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry at 1871 High Grove Lane in Naperville volunteers will sort food collected during recent community food drives and distribute them to clients.
  • Volunteers at Lake Katherine Nature Center in Palos Heights will plant native trees and plugs and spread prairie seeds harvested from Nicor Gas’ prairie and will help rehabilitate natural areas as part of the eco- and family-friendly project, which includes building an animal mound - a 35-foot long salamander.
  • The Rock River Valley Food Pantry will welcome volunteer efforts to help sort food and clean up around the grounds at two locations in Rockford.
  • Flowers and mulch will be planted at The Manor at Hearthstone Communities, rehabilitative and nursing care facilities at 920 N. Seminary Ave. in Woodstock.
  • Yorkville volunteers will perform outdoor planting and indoor painting at the Kendall County Food Pantry.

SOURCE: Nicor press release

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