Lions Club: Darien Residents' Generosity 'Overwhelming'

The Darien Lions Club says thanks for all of the local help with Candy Day and the Needy Food Basket delivery.

Editor's note: The following letter was provided by the Darien Lions Club. The fall months saw the Darien Lions Club involved with two of its most important fundraising/community activities: Candy Day in October and Needy Food Basket delivery in December. In these challenging economic times the generosity of Darien area residents andbusinesses was simply overwhelming! Total funds raised surpassed $40,000–enabling the Club to serve 195 families with food baskets (and gifts providedby the Darien Park District, area schools and other sources) and donate over $21,000 to the State Lions Foundation, benefiting vision- and hearing-impaired persons throughout Illinois. Area businesses also truly stepped-up in theirsupport; donating nearly $13,000…

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PHOTOS: Needy Families Get Holiday Help From Darien Lions Club

Darien Lions Members, families and other volunteers load their cars/ vans and head out to make deliveries to almost 200 families in need in our area.

On Saturday morning, the parking lot at the Darien Park District bustled as volunteers played Santa to less fortunate families. The Darien Lions Club collected non-perishable food items for its 38th annual Food Basket program starting Nov. 24 this year and helped feed nearly 200 families.  Presents and parishables were distributed and delivered to all area communities which included Darien, Downers Grove, Westmont, Willowbrook and Woodridge. Recipients are referred from local schools who identify students that need assistance. Lions Club Chairman Greg Ruffalo said, "We've seen the need grow every single year."  The Darien Park District brightened the homes of many families Christmas weekend as well by providing toys for Darien children …

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Business Spotlight

Monaghan Insurance: A Policy of Commitment to Customers and Community

Darien insurance broker carries on the family tradition.

Kevin Monaghan was the youngest of seven children. He admired his father’s professionalism and emphasis on family. Today, he’s walking in his father’s footsteps as the current owner of Monaghan Insurance. Monaghan’s father was a Navy gunner in World War II. But the residual effects of a childhood accident eventually led to surgery and a medical discharge. After his recovery, Travelers Insurance hired him as a salesman. His success there encouraged him to build his own insurance brokerage business—Monaghan Insurance—in 1942. Several sons eventually joined him in the business. “Everyone in Hillside knew John Monaghan," Monaghan said. "He had a store right on Wolf Road. We had a yellow Volvo with ‘Monaghan Insurance’ on it. And (Dad) would …

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Business Spotlight

PC MD Cures What Ails Your Computer

Darien technology services business makes house calls

Tom Weiland was intrigued by computers as a teenager. His interest grew into his own business in Darien – PC MD Enterprises. At Downers Grove South, Weiland took the few computer classes that were available to high school students in the mid-1970s. He created programs on punch cards and tapes. He also took programming classes at night at the College of DuPage. “Then I had a midlife crisis at the age of 17,” he said. “Both my brothers worked for IBM. I wondered, ‘Am I doing this because I want to do this? Or am I doing this because they’re doing this?’ So I joined the Navy and became a diesel mechanic.” After four years in the Navy, Weiland studied business and accounting in college. He also bought a house. One of his housemates worked for …

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Lions Club Delivers Food Baskets To Help Families in Need

The Lions Club and Darien Park District along with many volunteers came together Saturday morning to help sort and deliver 206 meals to less fortunate families in the community.

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Ten Big Stories from 2010

Darien Patch has only been around a couple of months, but a lot has happened.

Editor's Note: This story originally said that a trial for Pamela Williams would begin Jan. 18. The judge has not set a trial date for Williams. Patch regrets the error. On Wednesday, Darien Patch will celebrate its two-month anniversary. Though we haven't been around very long yet, we've already gotten to see some amazing stories unfold. Here, Darien Patch rounds up 10 big stories that happened during the last two months of 2010. 10. Hinsdale South Deaf Academic Bowl Team Preps to Defend Title This amazing group of teens from Hinsdale South placed third in the Harper College Deaf Academic Bowl Nov. 5. They'll head to the national competition at Gallaudet University in March. 9. Argonne's White Deer: Dwindling, But Not Departed With less …

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Lions Deliver More than 14 Tons of Food to Needy Families

The club helped more than 200 families Saturday through its annual Food Basket Program.

Bags of groceries seven deep surrounded the gym at the Darien Park District Community Center Saturday morning. That wasn't the only space overflowing with canned goods, boxes of macaroni and cartons of oatmeal. There were more provisions in a meeting room. And in the parking lot was a truck filled with gallons of milk, hams and turkeys ready for roasting. But the bountiful cornucopia didn't last long at the Community Center. Dozens of Lions arrived bright and early to deliver the donated foodstuffs, along with wrapped toys, to needy families in Darien and neighboring suburbs. During the past few weeks, the Lions Club gathered nonperishable food items, as well as cash donations, as part of its annual Food Basket Program. Over the same time …

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Month in Review: A Prostitution Sting with a Twist Gets Top Spot

The most popular stories on Darien Patch during November.

November was a busy month for the City of Darien as well as all of us here at Darien Patch, which celebrated its one-month anniversary Monday. Take a peek back at the most popular stories on Darien Patch during the past four weeks. 10. Man Charged in Triple Murder Seeks Visitation Rights with Son Johnny Borizov, the Willow Springs man charged in connection with the March murder of three members of a Darien family, requested visitation rights with his 21-month-old son. DuPage Circuit Court Judge Daniel Guerin will hear arguments from the prosecution against that motion Dec. 16, according to the State's Attorneys Office. 9. Parents Experience A Day in the Life at Cass Jr. High Kids got to show their parents how tough it can be to switch …

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What You May Have Missed While Eating Turkey

Five stories to catch you up on last week.

Thanksgiving is for food, family and taking a break from your laptop. Here are five stories to get you caught up on what happened in Darien last week. Four Car Burglaries Reported on Sequoia Lane A GPS, laptop and more were stolen from four cars on the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Sequoia Lane. Three of the four cars were unlocked. Lock those car doors! Lions Club Delivers Food, Toys and Smiles during Annual Drive The Lions Club kicked off its annual food drive. Drop off nonperishable food items at bins around Darien now through Dec. 14. Friday Night Fun Club Prepares a Feast of Food and Friendship  This SEASPAR social club celebrated an early Thanksgiving by cooking dinner and giving thanks at Darien Sportsplex. Make Your List and Check It …

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Darien Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Successful Membership Drive

A dues incentive program and networking sessions also spur membership growth.

Membership in the Darien Chamber of Commerce grew by about 20 members recently thanks to a membership drive that ran from September to mid-October. The membership drive, which launched at DarienFest in September and ended at the chamber's Rocktoberfest Oct. 14, was made possible by a $2,500 grant from AT&T. The grant allowed new members to join for 50 percent off the standard $175 annual dues. Clare Bongiovanni, the chamber's business outreach coordinator, spearheaded the membership drive and was in charge of marketing the discount to the community. "The buzz is everywhere," Bongiovanni says. "The response has been more than I expected, and it's amazing how quickly people were joining once they heard about the discount." She notes that the…

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