Mount Prospect honors its volunteers at annual gala

A crowd of 550 residents and guests attended the Shining Star Awards gala to honor 12 people chosen from nomination sent in by Mount Prospect residents.

The 15th annual Celestial Celebration was held over the weekend at Bristol Court Banquet Hall in Mount Prospect. The awards honor those who have given back to the community. A village committee chose the winners from among the nominations.

Here are the winners:

• Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, Best Business Partner Award: One of Mount Prospect's largest employers, the company has partnered with Mount Prospect School District 57 Education Foundation, contributing more than $45,000 to the foundation. The Learning Resource Center at the newly re-opened Westbrook School exists in large part thanks to a sizable donation from Bosch.

• Claude Bjork, World is a Better Place Award: Bjork has been volunteering at Trinity United Methodist Church since he moved to Mount Prospect in 1966. Bjork's work ranges from teaching Sunday school to changing the inspirational message on the church sign every week for the last 27 years. Bjork is the initiator and chair of the church's Pumpkin Patch in October, drives people to medical appointments and to the airport, and gives his time every Saturday morning during the winter months to the PADS program.

• Carol Murray, The Unsung Hero Award: After spending time in New Orleans helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Murray returned with the feeling she had not done enough to help. Murray looked for new volunteer opportunities at the CEDA Northwest Food Pantry (Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County). She spent at least four hours at CEDA every day for the last two years where she has completely reorganized the food pantry.

• Tarina Wimmer, There Ought to be More People Like This Award: Wimmer is an active parent at both John Jay School and Holmes Junior High in Mount Prospect. She has organized fun fairs, parties for staff and projects like fun lunches, taffy apple days, cookie dough and wrapping paper sales, ice cream socials and teacher appreciation lunches. She handmade matching dresses for the entire choral group at Holmes so they could compete in state and district competitions. Together with the police department, she began the Officer Friendly visits to the Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59 schools.

• Mary Gallagher, Youth Should Be Served Award: Gallagher has volunteered five days a week in the Fairview Elementary School Library for the last 32 years. "She is always there," says one of her nominators, "even when the snow drifts are taller than she is." Gallagher said she began in the library because she wanted to get to know her daughter's friends, but enjoyed it so much she decided to stay.

• Sue Ramstedt, Champion for Youth Award: Ramstedt was a model teacher of special education at Lincoln Junior High in Mount Prospect for 23 years and in 1990 started the scholarship fund for the Mount Prospect Education Association. For 10 years, she has managed the Carol Iverson Scholarship Fund. In 1997, she created the Prospect Partners Program, which pairs at-risk eighth-grade students with Prospect juniors and seniors, who act as mentors. Today, she is retired, but continues to tutor, and has created the Mount Prospect School District 57 Alumni group. She was elected to the District 57 board of education and has served for the past seven years and today is its president.

• Jeffrey Nellessen Jr., Rising Star Award: At Prospect High School, he was a member of the marching band, the symphonic band, the acclaimed Prospect Drumline, both the varsity and chamber choirs, the Mixed Company Show Choir, The One Stop Men's A cappella group, the Madrigal Singers A cappella troupe, and the Orchesis Dance Troupe. He has performed in many plays and musicals, was a member of Theatre Angels, which raises funds for the theater group, and was an Ultimate Frisbee Club member. Now he attends the University of Illinois as a freshman with hopes of becoming a teacher.

• Prospect High School Safety Dog Program, Horizons for Youth Award: The Prospect High School Safety Dog Program uses a friendly dog and a street-clothed handler to keep the school grounds free of unwanted substances. Glenn VadeBonCoeur and Dandy, a golden retriever, of Interquest Detection Canines in Winfield, make many random visits to the school to walk the halls and grounds.

• Marilyn Genther, Toast of the Town Award: Genther joined the Mount Prospect Public Library in 1986 as the head of adult services. She was promoted to deputy director of the library in 1987, and in 1992 became the library's executive director. Genther has been described as a compassionate leader, a great listener, a visionary, a mentor and a true people person. She worked to ease the transition during the library's 2002 renovation. A member of the Mount Prospect Historical Society for 16 years, she has been the group's president since 2006. She is heading up the "Move the Schoolhouse" project.

• Carlos Huizar, Hometown Hero Award: A community service officer with the police department since 2004, he spends time every week at the Community Family Health Center on Algonquin Road. He helps bridge any language or cultural barriers for the Hispanic community in the area. He also visited the surrounding businesses to offer himself as someone they could call if they have a crisis or just a question. As one individual put it: "Carlos has developed his own way of doing things, and it is very effective. He has brought the community together by making himself a resource, a trusted adviser, a friend, and a source of strength."

• Linda Lampe, Dianna Franzen, Wendy Gonzalez and Mary Jane Matecki, Good, Better, Best Neighbor Award: In late 2006, when a neighbor was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, Lampe, Franzen, Gonzalez and Matecki knew they had to do something to help. As soon as they put out the word that a neighbor was ill, people began offering help. A college student set up a Web page offering magazine subscriptions, with the profits benefiting the neighbor's medical fund that was established at the Mount Prospect National Bank (now Midwest Bank). The Jewel Shop-N-Share program allowed folks to buy their groceries and make donations to the fund. A cleaning service set up a prepaid account so that people could make donations for house cleaning and discounted each cleaning. A landscaper provided discounted lawn service. The annual Neighborhood Garage Sale is where almost everyone could participate. Through word of mouth and the generous coverage by the newspapers, they were inundated with donations of items to sell. Few shoppers wanted change back for their purchases, and some just made a donation.

• Rosemary Grier, Living Legend Award: When Grier's husband fell ill, she began teaching second grade at Westbrook Elementary School. As one nominator put it, "Reading was Rosemary's Bugaboo! A stickler for teaching all to read, many classes of children remember Mrs. Grier and Clifford the Big Red Dog." Before Grier retired, she was elected to the Mount Prospect School District 57 school board, where she served until 2007. Many remember Grier for her strong sense of priorities -- protecting kids at all costs, even though it was not always the popular choice. In 1997, efforts began to create a foundation that would raise funds to provide equipment and programs. When the school board at the time declined to loan the group the seed money to get started, Rosemary once again was there to fuel the fire. Today, 10 years later, the District 57 Education Foundation has raised nearly $500,000.