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Baby G.I.
 
After collecting the supplies for the troops last October, GFRVOS received a call from one of the soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, Captain Erin Weaver.  Quite a few of you were at that meeting.

On January 29, Captain Weaver's wife Nicole had a baby, Nathan Dennis Weaver.  Captain Weaver had just arrived home in Texas on leave the day before, so he was there when Nathan was born!

Captain Weaver is back in Afghanistan until August.  GFRVOS will be shipping a little care package to Nathan and his Mom.  If you would like to contribute something (a little outfit, toy, etc. but nothing too big!) please bring it to the March 8th meeting.

If you would like to send Captain Weaver an e-mail, he can be reached at erin.weaver@us.army.mil .
Event DVD Available!
If you would like a copy of the 2007 Spring Event DVD, send an e-mail to I Am Joe at joe@gfrvos.org and let him know how many you would like.  Cost is $5 each which goes to the GFRVOS Relay for Life Team.
SOS from the IALAC Fairy!
It's that time of year again when I could use lots of help from GFRVOS. On Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 I am asking volunteers to solicit donations for Misericordia Heart of Mercy ( http://www.misericordia.org/ ) and to pass out little bags of Jelly Bellies. It's lots of fun and very rewarding.
Anyone can call me at 630-879-8774 or e-mail me at lrp2@sbcglobal.net to volunteer. I start at 5:15 am on Friday at the Aurora train station and have locations in Batavia and Geneva until 7:00 pm and from 8:00 am or 9:00 am on Saturday until 5:00 pm.
So, if anyone can spare an hour or two or three, please contact me.
I'm hoping to beat last year's record high of $3,500!
HTA
Lou (a.k.a. The IALAC Fairy)
Relay for Life - 2007!
Interested in helping with the 2007 Relay For Life on June 22-23 at the Kane County Cougars Stadium?  Contact Greg VanZandt at gmvanzandt@comcast.net ASAP! GFRVOS has participated the past several years with great results while having a blast.  Stay up late and raise money for a very worth-while cause!
Swedish Days Parade a Success!
Over 10,000 people attending the 2007 Swedish Days Parade left with the answer to the question: "Hey Snowball! How do you feel?!"  30 Snowballers participated in the parade and had a great time.  Special thanks to all of the teens who helped make it a success, and a special thanks to Ashley and her family for providing our transportation!
New Teen Directors!
Congratulations to our new Teen Directors for the 2007 Fall Event: Kathryn Breisch and Maddie Brennan!  Thanks to everyone who took a risk and threw their warm fuzzy into the ring for consideration, and to everyone who participated in the selection process.

Also, a big thank you to out-going TD's Molly Gurbal and Katie Kolzow for a fantastic job with the 2007 Spring Event and for keeping the GFRVOS ship afloat for the past 6 months!
Thank You Dr. Mejia!
GFRVOS extends our best wishes to Dr. Clem Mejia as he retires from his position as Superintendent of the Kane County Regional Office of Education on June 29.  Dr. Mejia opened the doors of the ROE to Snowball several years ago and helped make us one to the best chapters in the world!  Thank you, good luck and lots of Snowball hugs, Dr. Mejia!!!
GFRVOS Remembers 9-11-01
In 2002, GFRVOS began a tradition of honoring our local firefighters and police officers as we remembered the emergency responders who died in the attacks of 9-11-01.

342 firefighters died that day along with 72 police officers.  In 2006, another officer died as a direct result of breathing in the toxic fumes at Ground Zero.

At our regular meeting on 9-13-07, our tradition continues.  We ask that you bring a dish of home-made baked goods to the meeting at the ROE.  (Home made is better than store bought.)  We'll fill as many baskets as we can and then deliver them to local fire and police stations.
Fundraiser for Haines Middle School Snowflake!
Teachers Melissa Byrne and Stephanie VanDeVeire are coordinating a Snowflake at Haines Middle School in St. Charles and they need our help!  There will be a fundraiser at Skippy's in South Elgin, which is on Randall Road near the Target. Skippy's is known for their great gyros, burgers, and chicken. The event will take place from 5-8pm on Wednesday, September 12th. Snowflake will receive 15% of the proceeds and it is important that all who come in or go through the drive thru say they are with Haines Middle School!
Thanks and bon appetite!
Good Job, Snowballers!
Kudos to all who came out and/or donated home made goodies for our annual remembrance of the attacks of 9-11-01.  The baskets were overflowing, and we delivered them to 10 local police and fire stations in record time!  The response from the officers and firefighters was fantastic and it was obvious they appreciated our efforts. Way to go!
Ooo-Rah and Hooha!!
Shop for the Troops 2007 a HUGE success!

On Thursday, November 1 we collected 21 shopping carts full of supplies for the troops (over 1200 pounds) - and donations are still coming in!  We were told that the items we collected included many of the things the troops need most.Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2007 Shop for the Troops a HUGE success! Special thanks to the Batavia Jewel and our friend-forever Cooki for setting things up, US99 radio morning show personality Ramblin' Ray Stevens, Grant's TV & Appliances, the United States Marines who stopped by and Deb Rickert from Operation Support Our Troops - Illinois.
We'll get pictures on the web site soon and let you know if we hear back from Iraq or Afghanistan.  GFRVOS is sending the magic around the world!
Ooo-Rah for GFRVOS!!
2007 Fall Event - Forever Young!
Kudos to Maddie Brennan and Kathryn Breisch for directing an event that will be remembered for a long, long time!  Thank you to everyone who took the risk to come to the event and to the Teen and Adult Staff who helped make it all happen.  Welcome home everybody!!
Event DVD's Still Available!
DVD's from the 2007 Fall Event are still available!  Send your request to joe@gfrvos.org .  We request a donation of $5.00, which will go to our Relay for Life team and the American Cancer Society.
Teen Director Applications Available Soon!
Watch for details regarding the application process for the Teen Directors for the 2008 Spring Event!  Yep...We need to start planning the next awesome event!  (March 14, 15 and 16, 2008)
Teen Directors Named for 2008 Spring Event!
Congratulations to our new Teen Directors, Ashley Burgermeister and Chana LoDestro!  (Only 89 days until the event :-)  A HUGE thank you to all of the teens who took the risk and threw their hat into the ring.  GFRVOS just oozes talent, and decisions like this are difficult to make.

Ashley and Chana will take over the TD responsibilities at our first meeting in January.
2008 Spring Event a Resounding Success!!!
What a weekend it was!!  Welcome home to everyone who attended the 2008 Spring Event - one that will go down in the Snowball history book as one of the best!  Congratulations to our Teen Directors, Ashley Burgermeister and Chana LoDestro for orchestrating a totally awesome event.  Thank you to everyone who staffed the event, and a special thank you to all of the participants who took the risk and helped make the event something we'll all remember for a long, long, time!
Event DVD Update
We're still experiencing difficulties with the program we use to burn our event DVD's.  A "fix" is in the works,and as soon as it's ready we'll let you know!
Misericordia Heart of Mercy Candy Days!
It's Jelly Belly Time!!  Friday, April 25, Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27.  Contact Lou Peterhans the IALAC Fairy!  He needs your help!!!!  (Refer to any of the Event Directories for Lou's contact info.)
Swedish Days Parade a BIG Success!
A big bunch of Snowball teens and adults rocked the Swedish Days parade in Geneva this year.  A sea of purple shirts and very loud songs and the all-important question, "Hey Snowball!  How do you feel?!" echoed down Route 38 all the way to West Chicago.  Thanks for a great job by everyone who came out.  Special thanks to Molly and her crew for coordinating things.
New Teen Directors!
Congratulations to our new Teen Directors for the 2008 Fall Event!  Drum roll please...

Karla Blanco and Tom McLaughlin!

Tom and Karla have HUGE shoes to fill but are up to the challenge.  THANK YOU to everyone who applied.  This was truly a tough decision but shows just how talented GFRVOS is.
2008 Spring Event DVD Available!
Copies of the 2008 Spring Event DVD are finally available!  $5 each - proceeds going towards Realy for Life.  Contact Mary (Mary@gfrvos.org) for your copy!