Fundraiser planned to benefit Nusser family

From the Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Fundraiser planned to benefit Nusser family

JOHNSBURG – Raffle tickets for a replica mini stock car are on sale, with all proceeds benefiting the Nusser family in Johnsburg.

Len Nusser died in August from organ failure after he suffered a double bacterial staph infection. He had been in and out of intensive care since June. He was 48.

Friends of the family are hosting this fundraiser to help his wife, Cindy, and their eight children.

The raffle prize is a NASCAR No. 15 replica mini stock car valued at $1,699.

The brand new car has a fiberglass body and is gas-powered. It’s maximum speed is about 20 to 25 mph, and the car gets about 50 to 60 miles a gallon.

The drawing will be Dec. 7.

Raffle tickets are $5 and are available at the Johnsburg High School Thanksgiving tournament games next week. People also can call Margie Cherwin for tickets at 815-388-3179.

To view mini stock cars, visit www.gokartsrus.com.
– Diana Sroka

Family gets a dose of reality

From the Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Family gets a dose of reality
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

LAKEMOOR – Ask Pete Berwick whether he will dress up as a nerd or Elvis for a singing telegram, and his response is when and where.

Ask him to surrender his guitar and spend time in the kitchen, and the answer is final: No way.

But that’s exactly what was expected of him when he and his wife agreed to be filmed for an episode of the reality-TV show “Wife Swap.”

“[The other wife] wanted to tame me, keep me in the kitchen,” Berwick said. “Everything was cooked, fried or shake-and-baked.”

Berwick and his wife, Denise, of Lakemoor, will be featured on tonight’s episode, which will be at 7 p.m. on ABC.

In the episode, Denise Berwick will trade places with Val, a mother of nine from an Atlanta suburb, for two weeks.

For one week, the wives must adapt to each others’ households and follow “house rules” established by the other wife while cameras document how successful they are.

During the second week of the swap, the wives get to write their own rules for the house in hopes of teaching their swap families different lifestyles.

The Berwicks have one daughter, Faith, who is 10. Pete Berwick is a professional entertainer who supports his family through music, comedy shows, and performing singing telegrams. Denise Berwick is supportive of her husband’s career. She works part time at a local health club and volunteers at church.

Val, the mother of the swap family, home-schools her children and runs a strict household. She wasn’t too keen on Pete’s lifestyle.

“She just couldn’t grasp how I came and went with the wind. In her eyes, it was selfish,” Pete Berwick said. “Really, it was paying the bills.”

Denise Berwick said that when she was at the swap family’s home, she tried to encourage them to explore their talents and dreams more.

“They’re very rigid with the way they’re disciplined and brought up,” she said. “When it came time to do something different, it was so foreign to them.”

The Berwicks were contacted by show representatives by e-mail in April. Camera crews began filming in late August for two weeks.

They enjoyed their brush with reality-TV, but said the most important thing that they took from the show was how much they valued their own lifestyles.

“You really do wind up missing your family and appreciating them more,” Denise Berwick said. “You definitely really appreciate your family who understand and support you.”

Competition fun for parents, kids

From the Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Competition fun for parents, kids
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

CRYSTAL LAKE – Jill Christensen was on the edge of her seat.

Her 8-year-old daughter, Samantha, was running across an indoor soccer field at the Regional Sports Center in Crystal Lake, clad in a blue and white Chicago Magic uniform.

Victory was crucial.

“We’re 2 and 0, so this is our deciding game,” said Christensen, of Algonquin, admitting how nervous she gets when she watches her daughter play.

Parents around Christensen began to applaud and cheer. Make that 3 and 0.

More than 400 youth and adult soccer players from 36 teams participated in the first Copa Gary Lang Soccer Tournament on Saturday.

The event attracted youth travel players and adult players from across the northwest suburbs, and as far as Kenosha, Wis., and Chicago. For more than 12 hours, teams competed in 25-minute games on two indoor fields while fans, families and friends watched from behind a glass wall.

“[They like] everything,” said Angel Garcia, facility manager. “The atmosphere, the ability to play indoors now that it’s cold.”

Larry and Marian Ostness traveled from Streamwood for the tournament. Their 10-year-old grandson, Max McGregor of West Dundee, played with two different teams Saturday.

“I enjoyed the heck out of it,” said Larry Ostness as he and his wife packed up their folding chairs. “Overall, it was a very exciting day.”

Throughout the complex, many who weren’t on the field couldn’t resist kicking around their own soccer balls – especially younger siblings.

While some parents shouted cheers or directions from the stand, others tried to keep cool.

“I don’t get nervous,” said Jenny Rapaduski, whose 8-year-old daughter, Amanda, also plays on a Chicago Magic team. “I just watch and make sure she’s playing at her level.”

Rapaduski said she was impressed with its size and organization.

“For a first time, it’s great,” she said.

Officials probing teens' deaths

From the Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Officials probing teens' deaths
By DIANA SROKA and JENN WIANT

ALGONQUIN -- The Rev. Jim Swarthout and his wife, Claudia, usually describe the view of the Fox River from their home as "breathtaking."

But the day after three Chicago teens drowned during an early-morning paddle boat ride, looking out her window made Claudia Swarthout upset.

"I just felt incredibly, incredibly sad," she said. "If we were awake at 2 in the morning, we possibly could have helped."

The Algonquin couple awoke around 3 a.m. Friday to emergency crews combing the Fox River in search of three students from North Lawndale College Prep Charter High School who were on a school trip at nearby Camp Algonquin. Hours later, Jimmie Avant, 18, Melvin Choice Jr., 17, and Adrian Jones, 16, were pulled from the water, dead.

The teens, honor students and athletes at the West side Chicago school, were among 31 attending an eight-day leadership retreat at the YMCA camp. Preliminary reports showed that as many as 16 students left the Camp Algonquin dorm early Friday morning for an unsupervised paddle boat trip. It was unclear how many students actually went out on the six paddle boats found in the water and whether they were wearing life jackets, said Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano.

Investigators from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources planned to talk with the other students this week to determine how many people were on the river early Friday, Solano said, and for how long.

The students got into trouble about 25 yards from shore, Solano said Saturday, possibly because plugs to prevent the boats from taking on water and sinking had been removed for the winter. Investigators also planned to take a closer look at the paddle boats this week to determine if they had any other structural problems.

Autopsy results concluded the cause of death was consistent with drowning, according to the McHenry County Coroner's Office.

Solano said she had no information about whether the three victims knew how to swim. The initial investigation did not suggest that alcohol or drugs had played a role in the tragedy, she said, but toxicology reports would not be available for about two weeks.

Monday classes are canceled at North Lawndale College Prep, a charter school on the West Side of Chicago. Instead, grief counselors will be available during school hours, according to the school's Web site.

Saturday, the entrance to Camp Algonquin was roped off with police tape. The Fox River was quiet as Jim Swarthout reflected on the tragedy.

"We also see much life from the camp through our window," Swarthout said. "Amidst the tragedy ... life will move on, and we'll do the best we can with it."

Recognizing whooping cough symptoms early is key, officials say

From the Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Recognizing whooping cough symptoms early is key, officials say
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

That runny nose and cough you’ve been battling might be more than the common cold, health officials warn.

Four cases of whooping cough were reported in McHenry County in the past month, and officials are urging people to be especially attentive to their symptoms.

“You can be contagious and not even realize it,” said Debra Quackenbush of the McHenry County Department of Health.

Whooping cough, formally known as pertussis, usually starts with a runny nose, cough or fever. It is highly contagious and spread through contact with infected people. Symptoms can seem minor, so it usually goes undetected and isn’t treated right away. But doctors said that was one of its dangers.

“Somebody sneezing, somebody else coughing; ... you catch it from breathing in the germs,” said Emily Shen, a doctor at Mercy Crystal Lake Medical Center-West. “You can wash your hands, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away without the infection.”

As the illness worsens, people experience “persistent and more severe” coughs, said Dana Hartwigsen, a pediatrician at Centegra Health in Huntley.

For infants, the first sign of whooping cough could be feeding difficulties, or a slight cough. Sometimes infants will gag, stop breathing for a few moments or their lips will turn blue.

If the illness is caught early, most will be treated with antibiotics. But the effectiveness of antibiotics decreases the later the disease is caught.

"Usually the antibiotics are helpful if you give it during the very first stage, and not very helpful if you give it in the stage after that," Hartwigsen said.

After the first week or two of the illness, children and adults might experience serious coughing episodes, and most of their symptoms will worsen.

"The patient might develop gagging or might be struggling to breathe ... while they're having coughing attacks," Hartwigsen said. "Some people might even turn blue in the lips."

The best way to prevent the illness from getting to the second or even third stage that follows is by making sure children are getting all the recommended and required immunizations, Shen said.

"[Parents say,] 'Do they really need that? Yes they do," Shen said. "Right now there's not a lot of studies [that] prove how long it lasts."

Even though immunizations aren't required for adults, people ages 19 to 64 can protect themselves from the illness by getting tetanus shots – which commonly include diphtheria and pertussis vaccine – every 10 years or so, Quackenbush said.

Schools are doing their part to prevent a possible outbreak in the county by carefully examining the symptoms students exhibit.

"I think it puts you on a higher alert when you know there's known cases there in the county," said Denise Linde, nurse at Johnsburg High School.

Stacking up: Richmond students participate in Guinness attempt

From the Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Stacking up: Richmond students participate in Guinness attempt
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

RICHMOND – Kindergarten student Zofia O’Bara squats near a mat in the Richmond Grade School gym.

She looks down at a set of 12 plastic, bright-red stacking cups in front of her. Then she looks to the head of the class, where her physical education teacher, Kathie Sembach, has arranged her set of cups into three-by-three pyramids.

Ready, set, go: O’Bara starts shuffling her cups, trying to imitate Sembach’s pattern. The hardest part?

“All of it, pretty much,” O’Bara says with a sigh, just before she successfully completes the pattern in a matter of minutes.

Students at Richmond Grade School were among an estimated 175,000 worldwide who joined together Thursday to break the Guinness World Record for sport stacking. The goal was to get as many people as possible across the world stacking all on a single day.

Last year, about 143,530 people across the globe participated in the event. This year, it’s estimated that more than 175,000 participated. By Thursday afternoon, almost 200 Richmond Grade School students had taken their turn.

Sembach said the school wouldn’t know until today or next week whether the record was broken. Sembach had integrated stacking into her physical education classes for the past nine years, but it’s not all fun and games. She said it taught her students integral physical and mental development skills.

For younger children, the activity increases ambidexterity and uses both the right and left sides of the brains, helping children become more bilateral, she said. It improves hand-eye coordination, and older children are drawn to its competitive nature.

“It helps with everything,” Sembach said. “There’s a lot of concentration in what they’re doing.”

The stacking cups come in bright colors and have holes on the bottom so they don’t stick. Sembach said it’s been so popular at the school that some parents even have ordered sets of the cups for their homes.

O’Bara’s favorite part of the activity were the formations.

“I like to stack the three-by-threes,” she said. “That’s my favorite part of stacking.”

What’s the scoop?

Richmond Grade School students were among tens of thousands participating worldwide Thursday in a stacking event in hopes of breaking a Guinness World Record.

It’s estimated that more than 175,000 participated, which would beat the 143,530 who participated last year.

Official results, however, won’t be known until today or next week.

Camp Duncan makes room for neurologically disabled

From the Friday, November 14, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Camp Duncan makes room for neurologically disabled
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

INGLESIDE – Next fall, there will be a new resource nearby for children living with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other neurological disorders.

A 4,500-square-foot facility will be built on the YMCA Camp Duncan campus in Ingleside to accommodate Camp Independence. The camp will aim to teach children how to live more independently with their disorders, while experiencing the fun of camping.

“I think we’ve hit a home run with the design of this facility,” said Chris Bielat of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

The outside of the building will resemble a lodge, and there will be a pine interior to give the inside a rustic feel. The building will house eight fully handicapped-accessible bathrooms, a living area with enough beds for 16 campers, and a large common area for activities.

There also will be a partially accessible kitchen, so children can learn the skills necessary to cook in a non-accessible kitchen.

“We need to really be able to teach independence,” Bielat said. “Campers need to learn how to ... live in an environment that isn’t 100 percent accessible.”

The multimillion-dollar project is a collaboration between YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and an organization called the Village Foundation, which is headed by David McLone, a doctor who has worked with spina bifida patients. It will be funded by these two organizations and a third, Camp Friends.

At a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, an adult who began participating in similar camps 20 years ago discussed the importance of the new facility.

“Camp gave me a place to recharge,” said Kelly Schultz of Lake Zurich. “I was able to put aside all the struggles of daily life and just have fun.”

Starting next fall, there will be 10 camp sessions hosted at the new campgrounds, free of charge to participants. Sixteen campers can participate in each session.

For information, call Camp Duncan at 847-546-8086.