Kids' Best Friend honors for 5 in Naperville

When the Education Center of Developmental Resources in Naperville sponsors its annual Kids' Best Friend Benefit and Awards Dinner, it will honor five residents who have dedicated their lives to helping children, families and the elderly.

This year's awards and winners are:

• Kids' Best Friend Award: Ray Jones, Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home;

• Outstanding Community Leader Award: Nicki Scott, Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise and Rotary International District 6450;

• Making a Difference Award: Vicki Coletta, Project HELP and the Exchange Club of Naperville;

• George and Pat Pradel Humanitarian Award: Brand and Mary Ann Bobosky, community leaders, Century Walk, and education.

The benefit and awards dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle. Tickets are $125 and include a cocktail reception, dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions. For tickets, call (630) 420-7807 or visit www.theeducationcenter.org.

The benefit provides scholarships for counseling or tutoring at The Education Center for students who are experiencing challenges at school. Those challenges might be due to problems at home, traumatic experiences, drug or alcohol abuse, lack of study skills or motivation, and other events that interfere with their learning.

Scholarships also are available for students whose parents are serving in the military.

"The people who we are honoring all have one thing in common," said Mike Litow, founder and executive director of The Education Center. "In addition to being busy in their personal lives, they always find time to give back to the community and improve the quality of life for families."

Jones, owner of Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home in Naperville, has been an active community leader for almost 40 years. He has served on numerous boards, including those at Edward Hospital, Naperville's Little Friends, Little League, United Way, and Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry. He is currently a commissioner of the Naperville Police and Fire Board and a board member of St. Patrick's Residence.

Each year, Jones serves as chairman of the St. Patrick's Residence "Gold Key Gala," a fundraiser he originated. He also heads the largest annual fundraiser and capital campaign for Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, "Light the Way" and "Pass It On."

Jones has shown a similar passion for efforts on behalf of youth. According to Judy Ellertson, executive director of the Fry Family YMCA, "Ray Jones has very quietly been an exceptional advocate for the YMCA and its work with young people in the community. Ray understands and appreciates the importance of values, mentoring and leadership in the development of young people.

"Ray's sponsorship of the youth sports program, the Y's annual Prayer Breakfast and many more civic endeavors is evidence of his ongoing commitment to building a stronger and more vibrant community. Kids and families in the area are fortunate to have Ray Jones as a friend and advocate."

Nicki Scott, the recipient of the Outstanding Community Leader Award, brought a planeload of positive energy when she and her family arrived in America from England in 1993. With an attitude of "Happiness is giving back," Scott got involved in the community and quickly earned leadership positions that have affected people around the world.

She joined the Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise in August of 2000 and immersed herself in club activities. In 2007, she started a grass-roots international project that took the family to Tikondane, Zambia, in Africa. Scott served as president of her Rotary Club from 2009 to 2010.

Committed to helping children in other parts of the world, Scott traveled to New Delhi, India, in 2012 and worked with thousands of other volunteers trying to immunize all children younger than 5 with the polio vaccine.

Now serving as District 6450 Governor for Rotary International, Scott has traveled to meetings around the world, trained with Rotarian leaders from 200 countries, and visits all of the 63 Rotary Clubs in District 6450 in the Chicago area.

Among her goals as district governor are bringing younger generations into the Rotary family, developing skills in young entrepreneurs to build the next generation of leaders, and promoting the Rotary Foundation and all it does to help people across the globe.

In addition to her work with Rotary, Scott served as board director with Samaritan Interfaith and the Millennium Carillon Foundation.

She was also one of the co-founders of Artful IMPACT, a not-for-profit group dedicated to making people stronger through the arts. Artful IMPACT serves schools, behavioral health organizations, seniors, special needs and at-risk populations.

Vicki Coletta, the recipient of this year's Making a Difference Award, is a longtime volunteer with Project HELP, as well as president of the board. Project HELP is a child-abuse prevention center in Naperville whose mission is to empower parents, nurture families and strengthen communities.

Project HELP is affiliated with the Exchange Club of Naperville, and in 2014, Coletta received the National Exchange Club Parent Aide of the Year Award.

For the past 15 years, Coletta has been a parent mentor volunteer and has worked with numerous families with a variety of issues. She also has taught parenting classes for more than 10 years and is certified to teach the active parenting curriculum that Project HELP offers to the community.

Brand and Mary Ann Bobosky, recipients of the George and Pat Pradel Humanitarian Award, have served in many leadership roles as professionals and as volunteers. They both served as chairmen of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and as presidents of their Rotary clubs.

An attorney, Brand has served as president of Little Friends' board of directors, the Naperville Jaycees, and the alumni association of Benedictine University. He also has served on the board of Edward Hospital.

Nicknamed "Naperville's Idea Man," he spearheaded many Naperville initiatives, including the Little Friends Bid for Kids auction which now raises more than $100,000 annually, and the Rotary Club's Oktoberfest. He founded Century Walk, Naperville's outdoor public art program, and has served as president of Century Walk Corporation since 1996.

Mary Ann Bobosky was a member of the Naperville Unit District 203 staff and worked in the education field for 38 years as a teacher, guidance counselor and administrator. She helped to start The Naperville Education Foundation for the district and later became director of community relations.

Mary Ann founded Advocates Building Communities, helping districts across the nation build partnerships similar to those that are so successful in Naperville. She is on the board of directors of Naperville Bank and Trust and an adviser of the DuPage Children's Museum. She is also on the advisory council of Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry and KidsMatter, of which she is a co-founder.