Arlington Hts. honors 11 with 2010 Hearts of Gold awards

The 11 Arlington Heights Hearts of Gold recipients for 2010 have been announced.

The awards recognize individuals who work or live in Arlington Heights and enrich the quality of life. The village's special events commission hopes to acknowledge individuals who do not generally receive communitywide recognition for their outstanding efforts.

They will be honored at the annual awards dinner on Feb. 13, at the European Crystal Banquet & Conference Center, 519 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights.

Everyone is welcome to attend the celebration. Tickets are $45 and reservations are due Feb. 1. Visit vah.com or e-mail nkluz@vah.com or call (847) 368-5104.

Here are the winners:

Mark GuntherMentor Heart of Gold: Mark Gunther, until recently the football coach at Hersey High School, has coordinated the school's Service Over Self program since 2000. While Gunther coordinates several programs for the students to participate in, the highlight is the annual food drive in November. Last fall students collected 35,000 cans. The goods supply holiday baskets for Hersey families, the CEDA food pantry and the St. Augustine American Indian Center in Chicago.With Gunther's guidance, students run all the events from start to finish and learn how to make them successful. He also leads by example, personally conducting a toy drive each December for children at Loretto Hospital in Chicago.More than 85 percent of Hersey students participate in at least one event each year, which boosts Gunther's credentials as a mentor.Mike and Marybeth SchoenwaldBest Neighbors Heart of Gold: Mike and Marybeth Schoenwald moved to Arlington Heights in 1981, six days before the birth of their fifth and second-to-last child. They immediately embraced their new community by becoming involved in their children's Scouting and sports activities and volunteering to help at many school and neighborhood activities. As their children grew up, the couple decided to expand their mission: They wanted to be "good neighbors" in a broader sense.Through St. James Church they have worked with Journeys from PADS to Hope for 20 years, facilitated pre-Cana classed and arranged holiday baskets for Mercy Hospital's poor and elderly. They are part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, providing emergency financial help to area neighbors in crisis.Marybeth Schoenwald has always been saddened by wastefulness and wanted to recycle used goods. After Hurricane Katrina she got the idea for the "Truly Priceless Garage Sale." Many neighborhoods got involved, and so far they have raised almost $9,000. Shoppers can designate which charity their funds will serve.Cathie Windheim SchwarzEducator Heart of Gold: Cathie Windheim Schwarz teaches gifted and talented children at Dryden Elementary School, touching students' lives with her creativity, kindness and expectations for excellence for more than a decade. Schwarz challenges her students to make the most of their academic, creative and artistic gifts. They highlight the year's accomplishments each spring with the Odyssey show. Besides organizing the annual spelling bee at Dryden, Schwarz supervises the lunchroom and knows every student by name.Marilyn BreidingYoung at Heart Heart of Gold: During her 50-some years in Arlington Heights, Marilyn Breiding has given back to the community through Our Savior's Lutheran Church. She has assisted with Journeys from PADS to Hope with meal preparation and filling in on night shifts. She has served as coordinator of crisis support teams and has helped with Maya Works, a fair trade organization.And through the church's Global Mission Committee she has traveled to Guatemala where she has visited schools and given presentations on medical care to parents and volunteers in hospitals.Besides her church activities, Breiding tutors students studying English-as-a-Second-Language at Rolling Meadows High School up to three days per week. Contacts with teachers in this program led to her volunteering at Shelter Inc., the agency that helps and supports abused children.William ReinhardHeroic Heart of Gold: William Reinhard is a retired Navy captain who was a pilot for most of his 25 years in the military.Reinhard serves as treasurer of Cross and Crown Lutheran Church. Most Saturdays he is at the church cooking breakfast and lunch for the Ministry of Hope outreach program for area homeless and jobless people. He's known for giving not only of his time, but of himself for the benefit of others.More than 15 years ago Reinhard and his wife, Sandy, became foster parents, often for youngsters whose mothers had used unhealthy substances during their pregnancies. Their house became "home" to 18 children, anywhere between 2 weeks and 14 months.But they decided to keep four of the children for life. Their oldest child just graduated from high school while the youngest is a freshman.Kaileen McGourtyYoung Champion Heart of Gold: Kaileen McGourty has been a staple of the Arlington Heights community ever since setting up a stand selling Kool-Aid as a first grader so she could donate the proceeds to needy families. Her proudest achievement, though, was receiving a letter of recognition from then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama when she raised funds with a local bowl-a-thon for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.At St. James Church, McGourty is on the Peer Ministry Team. One project she has really enjoyed involves traveling to St. Malachy Church in Chicago over four summers to work on the classrooms.A senior at Hersey High School, McGourty tutors during lunch hours and every Tuesday she socializes with an autistic student who has become a good friend.Another project has been delivering food boxes to elderly people as part of a Mercy Hospital program.The family's only girl with three older brothers, McGourty plans to major in International Affairs and Peace Studies. She would like eventually to create a nonprofit organization to aid foreign governments in poverty reform measures.Nancy and Pat MoroneyVolunteer Heart of Gold: Nancy and Pat Moroney volunteer at St. James leading faith groups, and Nancy Moroney has served as a Room Mom and organized Ladies Night Out to raise funds for the school.In their neighborhood, the couple has supported families in emotional need with prayers and warm dinners; reviewed Salute Inc. applications for soldiers in need; and Pat coached soccer. In their community, the Moroneys volunteered for PADS for many years, and both devote many hours to Salute, Inc., visiting wounded soldiers and feeding the families of those heroes.The couple also mentors people who are searching for jobs and helps them write resumes; organizes fundraising activities; prepares annual reports for 501(c) (3) organizations; shares computer knowledge with nonprofit groups; and chaperons mission trips.In addition they deliver meals or money to struggling families for the St. Vincent de Paul Society; organize fundraisers; deliver "Mercy Boxes"; run in the Chicago Marathon to raise $10,000 for Salute, Inc.; and help organize the "Fun Run" at St. James to raise money for the school computer lab.Escorted Transportation Service, Northwest City of Good Neighbors Heart of Gold: Escorted Transportation Service is for seniors who might skip or delay medical or dental appointments if they have no way to get to them. Volunteers pick up seniors, drive them to appointments, accompany them into the waiting room, and drive them home - often stopping to pick up a prescription along the way. Caregivers appreciate the peace of mind, and seniors appreciate the personalized, one-on-one interaction they have with the volunteers. ETS, a not-for-profit agency, is housed in the Senior Center. In 2009, it provided 2,215 rides to 528 senior passengers. Users pay a nominal fee for the service, although no one is denied if he or she is unable to pay. Operating expenses come from grants and donations.Amy Philpott, Tuscan MarketBusiness Leader Heart of Gold: The Tuscan Market Wine Shop downtown offers more than made-to-order pizzas, build-your-own bruschetta, and many varieties of wine. Philpott, who took over ownership of the market two years ago, has hosted events to benefit many organizations and causes. These include lung cancer research, Dollars for Scholars, Journeys from PADS to Hope, local schools, and the Heart-to-Heart Foundation.Christopher GluthKenneth M. Bonder Community Beautification Heart of Gold: A senior at St. Viator High School, Christopher Gluth started doing brief volunteer projects at the Arlington Heights Senior Center. These ranged from helping seniors in the center's wood shop to assisting with office tasks.Then he wanted to find an Eagle Scout project that would help Senior Center. After talking with the center's management, Gluth decided to create eight handcrafted decorative flower boxes. He designed the boxes, obtained the materials and led his troop in the construction.Gluth's beautification project enlivens the exterior of the center and left a positive impression upon his troop as well as the staff and patrons of the Senior Center.Craig AmeelPam Stocking Heart of Gold: Craig Ameel, education coordinator and teacher of Career Life Skills at John Hersey High School since 1980, works far beyond the classroom with students who have special needs.He volunteers to organize after-school programs for his students. And his mentoring and inspiration have helped countless students reach great potential and to live independent lives. Ameel also works with Special Olympics, volunteering at weekly practices for his students who participate in Special Olympics. He organizes and hosts several area and district qualifying Special Olympic tournaments at the school as well.Ameel's Special Olympics teams have won an amazing 32 state titles. This success has made him the head track coach for Illinois at the National Special Olympic Games in 2006 and 2010. He has even represented the United States Special Olympics organization both as a gymnastics coach in 1999 in North Carolina, and again as a track and field coach in China is 2007 for the Special Olympics World Games.False16002000Kaileen McGourtyCourtesy Samphotographics.comFalse