Naperville News Digest: Rotary club donates $58,000 from Parade of Lights proceeds; Siddiqi selected as next College of DuPage president
Rotary club donates $58,000 from Parade of Lights proceeds
Rotary Club of Naperville has awarded $58,000 in grant money to local nonprofit organizations from funds raised through its 2024 Holiday Parade of Lights.
Among this year's grant recipients are Special Olympics Illinois and the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, which offer competition and recreational opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities and special needs; 360 Youth Services and the Alive Center, a news release said.
Also benefitting are the Naperville Professional Firefighters for a Cause; Naperville Police Foundation; Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 educational foundations; Max's Mission, which supports families affected by suicide loss; Special Spaces, which creates dream bedroom makeovers for children with cancer, and Teen Parent Connect, which provides resources for teenage parents and their children.
The club was able to distribute a total of $58,000 because it received a matching grant from Naperville Rotary Charities, the release said.
Siddiqi selected as next College of DuPage president
The College of DuPage Board of Trustees has named Muddassir Siddiqi as the school's eighth president.
Siddiqi is currently the vice chancellor of instructional innovation and digital strategy for the Houston Community College System, a COD news release said. Before that, he was president and chief executive officer of Central College, which is part of the Houston Community College System.
Siddiqi has a doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University, an MBA from the University of Northern Alabama and a master's degree in industrial technology from the Illinois Institute of Technology, the release said.
Siddiqi succeeds Brian Caputo, who retired in 2024. The college conducted a nationwide search for its next president while Christine M. Hammond served as interim president.
Naperville police to hold scam awareness webinar
The Naperville Police Department will hold an online program on the latest scams being employed to defraud residents at noon Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Last year, Naperville residents lost nearly $5.5 million to scams, police said in a news release. Victims ranged in age from 15 to 91.
Residents are targeted through phone calls, text messages, emails and computer pop-up messages, Police Chief Jason Arres said in a news release. Scammers change tactics so it's important residents keep up with current trends and what might be a scam, he said.
Some of the top scams reported in Naperville involve pop-up ads that claim the computer has a virus; online sales in which scammers pose as both fake sellers and fake buyers; and someone pretending they are from a government agency and asking for money to satisfy a warrant or fine, the police website said.
To get a link to the free, public webinar, go to www.naperville.il.us/scamawareness. A program recording will be posted to the city's website.
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