Elgin’s best honored at Image Awards
Elgin residents stopped Thursday to recognize people and organizations working to make the city a better place.
Nominees and fellow Elginites packed the Heritage Ballroom at The Centre to applaud this year’s seven winners in the project, citizenship, individual/volunteer and organizations/businesses categories.
Karin and Gentry Jones received a standing ovation as they accepted their award for organizing a group of volunteers to support Patricia Keeney at the end of her life. As Keeney battled cancer but remained responsible for caring for her ailing 90-year-old mother and running her family’s sporting goods store, the Joneses rushed to her side, bringing a sea of Elgin helpers with them.
“They saw a need in our community and met that need with love and creativity,” said Lauren Bullaro, the Elgin Advisory Commission member who presented the Joneses with their award.
Tricia Dieringer, another commission member, presented an award to Majs. Kenneth and Cynthia Nicolai of the Salvation Army Elgin Corps for preparing more than a million meals for earthquake survivors in Haiti. The group organized 50 teams of volunteers to package meals for 48 straight hours.
Kenneth Nicolai said the first question he heard when he proposed the project was, “Are you sure you can pull this off?”
“I said I just know the people of Elgin and I know they want to help,” Nicolai explained at the Image Awards.
The end result was more than 4,000 people helping package 1,041,000 meals.
Sue Moylan participated in her last ceremony as chairwoman after 15 years on the Image Advisory Commission. In prefacing her recognition of the nominees, Moylan referenced an old saying, advising people “to be, rather than to seem.”
“You people are the people that ‘be,’” Moylan said. “You’re the ones who are doing the good thing in the community.”
Other winners were:
Ÿ Velma Sept: She volunteers with more than 30 organizations donating countless hours every week to the community and is recognized as someone who is constantly working to make Elgin a better place.
Ÿ Coalition of Latino Organizations (LULAC): Fifteen Latino organizations joined forces in October to host a candidate forum attended by 300 people focused on issues most important to the Latino community, emphasizing the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen while introducing local candidates.
Ÿ Elgin OPERA: This organization has fostered a greater appreciation of classical vocal arts, educating the community through programs and performances in its 10 years in Elgin.
Ÿ Habitat for Humanity ReStore: The Northern Fox Valley chapter of this group opened a 40,000-square-foot retail center five years ago and has been offering low-price, used goods to raise money for a home construction program and keep materials from landfills.
Ÿ Gail Borden Public Library: Just last year, the library won the National Medal for Museum and Library Science, the most prestigious honor it could have received for solid programs and a commitment to literacy.