Judson University to honor volunteers for community service

Judson University in Elgin will be recognizing six volunteers for their community service in the Fox Valley area during its annual Community Prayer Breakfast May 11.

Nominees for the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award are: Keith Brill of Elgin, controller for Clad-Rex Steel; Tricia Grosser of Elgin, a teacher for 32 years in Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 and Community Unit District 300; Laurie Huske of Elgin, president of the Northern Kane County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Tara Romsaithong of Streamwood, founder of Homeschool Village Enrichment Co-Op; Jeff Turner, owner of In the Neighborhood Deli/Catering in Elgin; and Raymond Warren of Algonquin, senior licensing counsel for Google.

Here is a rundown on each of them:

• Brill has volunteered for the Elgin Community Crisis Center for 28 years and has served on its board as president, treasurer, and now vice president. He helped lead the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for three years, and the Elgin Junior Achievement for two years helping guide high school students in developing a product to market. He helped build five houses for Habitat for Humanity and built sets for 17 years for the Children's Theatre of Elgin.

• Grosser has volunteered at Feeding Greater Elgin Food Pantry and mentors weekly at Lowrie School for Kids Hope USA. For 10 years, she has worked with the Elgin Historical Society and serves on its board. She also is president for the Fox Valley Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta Alumni Association, co-chairs the Zion Lutheran Church Kids Hope USA mentoring team and has worked on many projects for St. Mary's Church, where she has taught Sunday school for 20 years.

• Huske helps educate people about how to better support families affected by mental illness. She became a member of the Northwest Suburban Task Force in 2015 and is seeking supportive housing in Elgin for people with mental illness. She is a certified trainer in DuPage County to teach NAMI Basics, an education program for families.

• Romsaithong is a volunteer for the Village Kids-Children's Ministry at Village Church of Bartlett. She started Homeschool Village Enrichment in 2009, leads and organizes weekly home-school groups serving families throughout the Fox Valley. She is the leader of the Child Protection Training program for Village Kids-Children's Ministry and serves as the curriculum coordinator for The Village Church of Bartlett's Children's Ministry. She also works as a doula.

• Turner has organized community meals for nearly 1,500 people with the help of 150-200 volunteers using donated food and resources. For seven years, he has organized Elgin's "Thanksgiving Community Dinner" in partnership with First United Methodist Church and Elgin Community Network. He has helped plan the Salsa Challenge for Social Good, Elgin's Art and Soul on the Fox, Elgin Green Expo and the Larkin Center's Cheers for Children Brunch.

• Warren has volunteered for the 30 years with the Boy Scouts of America, serving the Blackhawk Area Council and Central Region Area 7. An Eagle Scout, Warren has been recognized as an adult leader with the District Award of Merit and The Silver Beaver, the highest award an adult can earn.

The prayer breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. in Judson's Lindner Fitness Center, 1151 N. State St., Elgin. Jimmy Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International, an organization helping children living in poverty, is the keynote speaker. Christian artist Tina Jenkins Crawley, dubbed the "Best Gospel Entertainer of 2015" by the Chicago Music Awards, will perform.

Tickets are $25 per person, $350 for nonprofit/individual table sponsorships, and $500 for business table sponsorships. To purchase tickets, visit judsonu.edu.