Dean Klassman Receives Bill Reid Community Service Award from Buffalo Grove Rotary Club

Dean Klassman has been named the recipient of the Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove's yearly Bill Reid Community Service Award for 2016.

The award is given to individuals whose community efforts are both long-term, and result in the enhancement, betterment and improved spirit of the Buffalo Grove community.

Klassman is a Commissioner on the Buffalo Grove Commission for Residents with Disabilities, and a past Board Member and Vice President for The Center for Enriched Living. He is active with Keshet, "A Rainbow of Hope for Individuals with Special Needs".

Below are excerpts from a nomination letter received on Klassman's behalf from Buffalo Grove resident and Village Trustee, Andrew Stein.

"It is out of Dean's desire to create "hope" that Dean's true passion, Buddy Baseball, was born. This program allows children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities to actively participate in our treasured national past time - baseball. They are able to do this with the help of their buddies (able bodied volunteers)," Stein said.

Dean's Buddy Baseball Program has been featured on various media, including WTTW Chicago Tonight, WBBM 780 radio, CBS and ABC news, the Daily Herald, Pioneer Press and the Chicago Tribune.

"Just sit in the crowd or get on the field and there is no mistaking Dean's passion. Dean has even expanded Buddy Baseball to include it as a featured event in the Buffalo Grove Days end of summer celebration, drawing hundreds of spectators and participants," Stein added.

Stein ended the nomination letter with the following statement:

"They say that a legacy of a person is felt, not but what they do, but what they leave behind. Dean's legacy, Buddy Baseball and all that it inspires will stand the test of time."

The Bill Reid Community Service Award was created in honor of the late Bill Reid, who was a long time Buffalo Grove Village Trustee and a charter member of the Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove.

As part of the award, Klassman received special recognition during the intermission at the Rotary Village Green Concert on July 4, 2016, and was presented with a recognition plaque, a $500 contribution to the charity of the award recipient's choice (must be a qualified 501(c) (3) charitable organization and/or recognized organization) in his name, and a $500 contribution in the recipient's name to the Rotary Foundation. Klassman donated an additional $500 to the Buffalo Grove Recreation Association.

Klassman's name will also be inscribed on the permanent award recognition plaque located in the Buffalo Grove Village Hall.

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