Meet 'Mr. South Elgin' - Longtime volunteer loves serving the village

Leo Snyder says there's one reason he's been so involved in all kinds of fundraisers and community events over the years in South Elgin - he simply loves the village.

"It's a very exciting town to be in," the 75-year-old said. "It's nothing huge, it's small, but it's great. It's been great living here, and I had all the fun in the world here. It's been outstanding."

Snyder is serving his third term as president of the South Elgin Lions Club, and is a past governor for the club's district 1-J. He has lived since 1994 in South Elgin.

He's helped organize countless initiatives by the Lions Club, such as the annual Christmas food and toy baskets program, and fundraisers for everything from families of injured police officers to the purchase of thermal imaging cameras for the fire protection district.

He served on village's special events committee and especially enjoyed helping organize the annual RiverFest Express summer festival, he said. He also volunteered to organize National Night Out events and raise funds for the "Too Good for Drugs" program offered by the police department.

After battling cancer last year, he's now slowly recovering and much less active than he used to be, he said.

"Age is catching up with me," he said.

Snyder first became involved with the Lions Club, where his late wife, Nancy, liked to play bingo, when an injury forced him to retire around age 50 from his job as a cross-country truck driver in the mid-1990s, he said.

"I joined because I thought it would be fun," he said. "It became a big part, an awful big part, of my life."

Various awards and plaques adorn his living room wall, and Snyder is especially proud of getting a volunteer service award from former President George W. Bush's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2008.

Snyder has passed on his volunteering spirit to the younger generations of his family. His daughter Kim Geske also is active with the South Elgin Lions Club, and his great-grandchild Dylan, now 13, spearheaded last year a fundraiser for a little girl who was sick.

Police Chief Christopher Merritt said his nickname for Snyder is "Mr. South Elgin."

"I've known Leo close to 20 years now," he said. "Ever since I've known him, I've used to refer to him as 'Mr. South Elgin' because he's so involved with the community."

"He has pretty much volunteered for every community project there is," Merritt said. "He does everything - always has. He's a great guy."