Tree of Life UU Congregation Hosts Karaoke for Campers July 19

 

On  Saturday, July 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm Tree of Life UU Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry will host Karaoke for Campers, an evening of songs and fun celebrating the International Day of  Karaoke to raise funds for supplies for Compassion for Campers.

Compassion for Campers (C4C), is Tree of Life’s signature ministry for the unhoused, homeless, and housing insecure in McHenry County.  It supplies  essential survival gear like tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, small propane tanks and stove tops, back packs and duffels, as well as personal hygiene and grooming items, laundry and dish soap, and non-perishable food items.  Volunteers distribute items for free on the first and third Fridays of every month from 10 am to 2 pm at Community Resource Days at Willow Creek Crystal Lake, 100 South Main Street in Crystal Lake.

 

Singing will start at 7:00 pm. Come early in order to view the song selections and sign up to channel your inner Elvis and share your inner rock star.

Light refreshments will be provided.  This is a no alcohol event, family friendly event.  A voluntary $10 donation is requested.  Participants can also buy clean and new items like the tents and sleeping bags as well as seasonal needs like multi-packs of mosquito repellent and sun screen and bring them to the church.

For more information visit Tree of  Life, the Facebook event, or e-mail pmurfin@sbcglobal.net.

 

 

Compassion for Campers Collection Drive at Tree Of Life on June 28

A camp typical in McHenry County where the homeless often have to hide from authorities.

On Saturday June 28, day of the Great American Camp Out, volunteers from Compassion for Campers (C4C) will be accepting supply donations during the Tree of Life Rummage and Plant Sale from 9 am to 2 pm at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry.

Saturday, is National Camp Out Day, also known as The Great American Camp Out, and the volunteers of Compassion for Campers are using the occasion to raise awareness and support for those for those individuals for whom camping out is not a recreational activity, but a matter of survival. Compassion for Campers is an independent ministry project that provides tents, sleeping bags, and other emergency supplies to people who are experiencing homelessness and have no other forms of shelter.  

Serving the unhoused and unsheltered since 2012, Compassion for Campers fills an important need in the range of services offered in McHenry County.  Currently, the number of people experiencing homelessness exceeds the emergency housing that is readily available, leaving some individuals without shelter of any kind.  C4C takes a harm-reduction approach, helping those without shelter meet basic survival needs and be warmer and safer. 

 

Compassion for Campers volunteers and stocked shelves ready for a distribution  at Community Resource Days at Willow Crystal Lake.

A list of needed supplies can be found in the Social Justice section on the Tree of Life website at www.treeoflifeuu.org/compassion-for-campers.  Items most needed include warm weather sleeping bags, 3 person tents, or 4-in-1 portable stove tops. Donated items must be newly purchased rather than used. Used items will not be accepted. 

Donations can also be made online at https://treeoflifeuu.churchcenter.com/giving  designating Compassion for Campers in the drop-down menu. A $15 donation covers the cost of a sleeping bag, $18 covers the cost of a stove top, and $30 covers the cost of a tent. 

 

These tents and similar ones with different brand names are available at WalMart and other large retailers,  sporting goods stores, and online on Amazon and Ebay.

All supplies are distributed directly to people in need on the first and third Friday every month at the Community Resource Days held at Willow Crystal Lake. C4C is an independent ministry of the Tree Of Life U. U. Congregation in McHenry with the support of other churches, organizations, and individuals. It is entirely volunteer run and supported strictly through donations.

“I think the most important thing about Compassion for Campers is that our volunteers treat homeless people as people, as people who with dignity and worthiness, says Chaplain Dave Becker, minister with Tree of Life. “The first time I joined in to assist our Compassion for Campers volunteers, I was in awe of how much time they spent talking and visiting with the people who stopped in to gather needed supplies. These are not the nameless homeless; these are people that our volunteers know by name and in some cases have known for years. People would stop in, not just to get supplies, but to visit with people who they consider friends. It is an amazing thing to see!” 

The C4C collection will coincide with Tree of Life's Rummage and Plant sale.  Ten per cent of all rummage sales will also go to the mission.  

While this special collection drive takes place on June 28 from 9 am to 2 pm at Tree of Life, donations to Compassion for Campers are accepted year around.  10% of the proceeds from the Tree of Life Rummage Sale that day will also go toward C4C and proceeds from the Plant Sale will support the Tree of Life youth group service project with the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

 

 

McHenry County Trifecta This Weekend—Ride to Leave a Light On, Juneteenth, and Sumer Solstice

  

Ride to Leave a Light On Ride/Walk this Friday on the Square.  Light strings benefit Compassion for Campers, Jail Brakers, and other community organizations.

There is plenty to do this weekend in McHenry County to help you keep engaged in the community, edify your understanding, and connect with you spiritually.

First up—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!

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—Compassion for Campers, Jail Brakers, The Break Teen Center in Crystal Lake, The Illinois Migrant Council, Live4Lali, Woodstock Pride, and Lemonade & Advocate.

For the latest information on the ride visit the Facebook event.

Saturday, June 21 from 3:00 to 5:30 pm the McHenry County Junteenth celebration returns for the third time at a new indoor venue, the Center for the Arts (Music, Culture and Movement) at 1690 S. Eastwood Drive ( Rt. 47) in Woodstock.

The McHenry County Juneteenth Organization, founded and spearheaded County Board Member Gloria Van Hof, promises “an afternoon filled with music, dance, and community. Celebrate freedom and unity with a special program by Stev Walker and the Artistas Da Capoeira Woodstock troupe, the soaring vocals of Darlene Benton and learn about McHenry County’s connection to the Underground Railroad with Gloria Van Hof and another County Board Member Pam Althoff. Enjoy catered soul food by Chef Joanne Thomas, local exhibitors and fun activities for all ages.

Juneteenth commemorates the date of June 19, 1865, when Union troops marched to Galveston, Texas and enforced the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, freeing over 250,000 enslaved persons still held in bondage, deprived of their freedom and basic dignity.  Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a Federal holiday after being signed into law by President Joe Biden.  The current regime is not recognizing or celebrating the day in any way and is scrubbing government web sites of any reference to it.

The event is free and open to the public but requests registration.

Saturday evening Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry invites the public to share its annual Summer Solstice service.

Celebrate the sUUmmer Solstice with food, readings, intention, music, and a simple dance. There will be an eat and greet at 6:30 pm and the service will start at 7. Bring a chair and a treat to share.

Everyone is invited to wear white, yellow, gold, orange, and/or red and women can don long and flowing gowns, a scarf, or a crown of flowers to celebrate their inner royalty.

The event will be on the church grounds, weather permitting.  The observation should conclude  at sunset at 8:34 pm.

All are welcome to participate in the Dance of the Witches, a favorite part of Tree of Life's Summer Solstice celebration. 
 

The event is family friendly, free, and open to the public.  A free will collection will be taken.

For more information visit https://treeoflifeuu.org/services/suummer-solstice/.

If you can cram all of that in you will earn a blessed sabbath on Sunday.