Latest news with #PawsforaCauseVetCare
Chicago Tribune
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Free spay, neuter surgeries, vaccinations available for 80 pets; fan drive aims to help those in need beat the summer heat
Paws for a Cause Vet Care is offering 80 pet owners free spay and neuter surgeries, rabies vaccinations and microchipping as part of the Namaste Spay and Neuter Initiative Monday, June 2, at its new Naperville facility, 1620 Bond St. The program is designed to help overcrowded animal shelters and redice the euthanasia of healthy, adoptable pets, organizers said in a news release. Services will be provided to qualifying pet owners, including those receiving LINK benefits, Social Security disability insurance, unemployment, Medicaid, veterans benefits or seniors 62 and older, the release said. The initiative is in collaboration with the Jason Heigl Foundation, which aims to reduce shelter euthanasia through targeted spay and neuter initiatives nationwide. A limited number of appointments are available, and no walk-ins will be accepted. To make an appointment, call 630-961-8000. Customers shopping at area Buikema's Ace Hardware stores can round up their purchases to help fund the purchase of box fans for those in need. Naperville stores are located at 963 W. 75th St., and 1030 N. Washington St. Other participating retailers include the Buikema's Ace stores in Plainfield, Romeoville and Wheaton. The drive will run through Saturday, June 7. Funds donated will stay in the local community and help buy box fans for distribution by The Salvation Army, a news release said. Fans will be distributed to low-income families, seniors and others in need. Last year, about $7,000 was donated by customers in the Chicago area, the release said. To donate, go to A&A Ballet of Chicago will hold auditions for its 'Art Deco Nutcracker' production on Sunday, June 1, at Inspire School of Dance, 24125 111th St., Suite 300, Naperville. Registration to audition for the Art Deco Nutcracker begins at 11:30 a.m. Auditions for children ages 11 to 13 start at noon followed by auditions for those 14 and older at 12:30. Auditions for 7- to 10-year-olds will take place at 1 p.m. and for children 4 to 6 at 1:30 p.m. The audition will include basic dance movements and a combination to be performed in character. No preparation of audition material is necessary. There also will be placement auditions for dancers to take part in A&A Ballet classes at Inspire. Registration for the placement classes begins at 9:30 a.m. June 1 with auditions for 9- to 12-year-olds at 10 a.m. and dancers 13 and older at 11 a.m. The 'Art Deco Nutcracker,' a staple of the A&A company's repertoire since 2016, will be performed in December at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago, a news release said. For more information, contact info@
Chicago Tribune
01-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Paws for a Cause Vet Care leaves Lisle location for new expanded facility in Naperville: ‘Like a dream come true'
Paws for a Cause Vet Care — a low-cost veterinary clinic formerly known as Spay Illinois — has moved from its longstanding location in Lisle to an expanded space in Naperville. Though they officially opened in their new 16,000-square-foot facility at 1620 Bond St. in early April, the clinic will celebrate with a grand opening event from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at which the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce will hold the ribbon-cutting. '(It's) kind of like a dream come true,' Brittany Eslary, Paws for a Cause Vet Care's chief development officer, said Thursday. The new facility is about quadruple the size of where they had been operating previously, Eslary said. The clinic offers preventative care, diagnostic services, surgical services, dental care and an on-site pharmacy. Services are devised to be comprehensive and affordable, according to Eslary. The latter goes back to the nonprofit's founding mission to make pet care more accessible as a means of preventing pet homelessness and shelter overpopulation. 'That's really been a big piece of the puzzle and focus — making sure that affordability and price wasn't the reason that people weren't able to get care for their pet,' Eslary said. The origins of Paws for a Clause date back more than 15 years. The venture started in 2009 when founder and CEO Kathi Daniels, alongside a small group of volunteers, started organizing low-cost and free spay/neuter clinics in the Kankakee County area, she said. From there, 'by word of mouth it just grew,' Eslary said. In 2010, the nonprofit opened its first stationary clinic in Momence, about an hour and a half southeast of Naperville. In 2013, the nonprofit started renting a space in Lisle, which is where the venture really started to become more of a full-time operation, she said. Meanwhile, the clinic still traveled to off-site locations to offer vaccinations and microchipping to other communities. That was the clinic's model for years until the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to off-site work, Eslary said. But in the pandemic's wake, the nonprofit honed in on a years-long goal of expanding and bringing services under one comprehensive roof. 'Our new space allows us to meet the growing needs of our community while staying true to our mission of keeping pets healthy and in loving homes,' Daniels said in a news release. 'Our new location not only expands our capacity but also enables us to introduce a wider array of services that address the comprehensive health needs of pets.' Last year, the clinic had more than 27,000 pet visits, including 15,562 general wellness visits, 11,116 spay and neuter surgeries, and 334 dental procedures, according to the nonprofit's website. With the opening of its new facility, Paws for a Clause now has a staff of 47, Eslary said. She started working with the nonprofit in 2014 after graduating from college, she said. For six years, she was the clinic's assistant development director. In 2019, Eslary left to take a job out of state but returned last October as chief development officer. 'Seeing the slow growth over time and having this opportunity to have what's becoming a state-of-the-art facility brings (this) to a new level of affirmation,' she said. 'It definitely keeps you motivated to want to do more.'
Chicago Tribune
12-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Naperville Heritage Society receives $20,000 exhibit grant; Paws for a Cause offers discounts on spay, neuter surgeries
Naperville Heritage Society receives $20,000 exhibit grant Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley has awarded a $20,000 grant to the Naperville Heritage Society to create a 'Careers in Agriculture' exhibit at Naper Settlement. The display will be part of the larger 'Inventing Agriculture' exhibit at the settlement's Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center. It will be designed for students in kindergarten through high school with a focus on how they can contribute to the future of agriculture, a news release from Naper Settlement said. Agriculture careers can involve such skills as robotics, AI, remote farming, policy, inventions, marketing, food distribution and security, bioengineering and small-scale specialty farming, the release said. The exhibit also will recognize Naperville's contributions in agriculture and from farm families. Paws for a Cause offers discounts on spay, neuter surgeries Paws for a Cause Vet Care in Naperville is offering 25% off spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats through the end of February. February is National Spay and Neuter Month, officials with the nonprofit organization said. Spaying and neutering pets helps reduce overpopulation, prevent certain cancers and improve the pets' overall health and behavior, officials said. The offer includes a pre-surgery exam and pain injection, anesthesia, spay or neuter surgery, pain medication and post-operation monitoring. Paws for a Cause Vet Care, formerly Spay Illinois, is now located at a new, expanded facility at 1620 Bond St. For appointments, call 630-961-8000 or go to DuPage County proclamation recognizes 211 helpline The DuPage County Board proclaimed Feb. 11 as 211 Day at its meeting Tuesday to recognize the helpline that connects county residents with health and human services. Residents can dial 211 to receive around-the-clock information and referrals to mental health services, addiction support and rehabilitation, crisis counseling, supplemental food programs, shelter and affordable housing options, a news release on the board's action said. Additional services include information on employment, financial assistance, senior programs and transportation. To access the free, confidential service, call 211, text a ZIP code to TXT211 or 898211, or go online at In 2024, specialists connected about 8,650 people to services, according to the release. More than 4,100 residents sought assistance for utility payments, more than 2,100 requested rent assistance, and about 650 received referrals to local food pantries, the release said.
