Bill Kurtis salutes Schaumburg volunteers
Unsung contributors to the success of Schaumburg heard renowned Chicago anchorman and documentarian Bill Kurtis deliver the keynote address Wednesday at the village's 31st annual Volunteer of the Years Awards Luncheon.
Charley Shroyer was named Volunteer of the Year in the adult individual category for multiple efforts, including donations of backpacks filled with helpful supplies for homeless people, preparing meals for families of sick children at Ronald McDonald House, organizing a Frost Junior High School Walk-A-Thon to raise housing funding for those same families, and planning an "Invite a Vet to Dinner" event at the school.
Emily Staudt, a Schaumburg High School senior, won in the youth category. She works with Operation Click to teach fellow students the importance of safe driving and volunteers with Special Olympics and GiGi's Playhouse. Emily also has served as a freshman mentor, executive board member of the Lead Out Loud club, and is a leader in the Digital Democracy program and the annual Operation Snowball event, which encourages students to lead drug-free lives.
The Robert Frost Junior High Interact Club was the volunteer organization winner. Among its activities during the past year have been the donation of 1,700 books to a hurricane-ravished school in Houston, sending candy and cards to U.S. Army soldiers, sponsoring several families in the Adopt-A-Family program, holding a drive for the Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 Food Pantry, packing boxes of meals for Kenya through Feed My Starving Children and mailing Valentines to seniors at the Brookdale Senior Center.