Note—June is crowded with important events in McHenry County. Expect more posts to keep readers up to date and able to plan.
The 5th annual Ride/Walk to Leave a Light On event will take place Friday. June 20 from 7 to 10 pm on the Woodstock Square and in the nearby neighborhood! Come ride, walk, run (new!) or just chill as you support 8 positively impactful community organizations and enjoy live music and an Ice Cream Social!
Lining up to depart Woodstock Square for the 2024 Ride/Walk.
The event is organized again this year by Ken West of Material Things Artisan Market, 103 E. Van Buren Street, Woodstock to connect the community with vital local organizations and raise funds to support their work with a fun and family friendly event. When you purchase a string of colored lights at the store or on line you help someone marginalized by trauma, by societal views, by prejudice, always by circumstances outside of their control. Supporters can also buy strings of color coded lights to decorate their bikes and themselves on the evening of the event. Show support by purchasing strings for favorite organizations.
Those organizations include Community Connections for Youth offering youth enriched alternative experience free time (red lights); The Break Teen Center in Crystal Lake which provides adolescents an young adults a safe placet to connect, have fun, and find acceptance with their peers (gold lights); The Illinois Migrant Council promoting heath, housing, and education for seasonal and agricultural workers and their families (white lights); Live4Lali working to reduce stigma and prevent substance abuse disorder in individuals, families, and communities and minimize the heal, legal, and social harm associated with substance use (purple lights); Woodstock Pride, an inclusive civic organization promoting diversity, cultural integration, and self celebration of LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and businesses (multi-color lights); and new this year Lemonade & Advocate, a purpose driven business that supports and involves individual with special needs with a portion of each sale going to special needs agencies (green light.)
We would be remiss if we did not specially highlight and recommend two vital outreach missions of Tree of Life UU Congregation in McHenry. Compassion for Campers (Blue Lights) helps the unhoused “weather” the weather with bedding supplies, tents, needs for temporary shelter, health and hygiene personal needs. C4C in currently in financial crisis during some the busiest months of the year. Jail Brakers (red lights) provides support for families dealing with incarceration.
Riders, walkers, and observers will gather in the Square beginning at 7:30 for the tree ice cream social and musical entertainment. At 8:15 there will be introduction by Ken West, instructions for riders, and comments about the event. The ride/walk will depart the Square at 8:40 as darkness falls. During the ride and after the return to the Square music will continue until 10 pm.
For the latest information on the ride visit the Facebook event.
The Ride is also supported by the Peacock Shoppe, Community Chiropractic Center Woodstock, EyeCare Woodstock, and Kingston Lanes Bowling and Sports Lounge. Also sponsoring the event are Woodstock Lumber, Isabel’s Family Restaurant, and Woodstock Heating, Cooling & Electric. Additionally, the event has a number of donors, including Hattie and Myrt and Blue Thistle Woodstock.
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