Elgin group looking for people who made a difference
Elgin's Image Commission is looking for nominations to honor people that made a significant contribution in Elgin or beyond.
City council members in late May gave the OK for a new program, but its form is still up for debate.
A few ideas has been suggested so far. One is a monument or Wall of Fame at one location.
Another is a program in which plaques engraved with a short paragraph about the person are installed on downtown sidewalks.
In either case, don't expect to see anything with the program until 2010.
Sue Moylan, chair of the city's Image Commission, said the group plans to research other cities with downtown programs and report to City Manager Olufemi "Femi" Folarin by the end of the year.
"This whole year we're going to be researching places that have memorials and plaques," Moylan said, noting commissioners will start in Naperville and perhaps consider cities such as Portland, Iowa City, and Washington D.C.
Hopefully, funding will be included when the 2009-2010 budget is approved in May 2009 with the first physical improvement made in 2010.
Individuals must have a tie to Elgin and deceased for at least a year.
Nominees may be: born and raised in Elgin and made a significant local contribution; born and raised in Elgin and made a significant contribution elsewhere; or born and raised outside of Elgin but made a significant contribution here.
The categories are: architecture; communications; education; the arts; government/public service; volunteerism; and business.
Applications are available at the city's Web site www.cityofelgin.org and will be accepted through Aug. 15.
For more information, call (847) 931-5601.
An eagle for Ecker:
A private dining club is reaching out to help a 56-year-old Elgin mental health agency.
The Dundee-based Anvil Club will host at golf outing and dinner Aug. 6 to benefit the Ecker Center for Mental Health, a not-for-profit agency founded in 1952.
The scramble tee off begins at 10 a.m. at the Golf Club of Illinois, 1575 Edgewood Drive, Algonquin. A steak and lobster dinner at the private club will follow.
The cost is $155 per person or $65 for dinner only. Part of the cost is tax deductible. The club is private, but the public is welcome for this event.
Karen Beyer, Ecker's executive director, said this is the second year the Anvil Club has joined with the center to raise money.
"It's a partnership that works for everybody involved," she said.
During the last 12 months, the center served about 3,400 people about 80 percent of them were economically disadvantaged. The center also has offices in St. Charles and Streamwood.
For more information or to buy tickets, call Mary Ann Stephens at (847) 695-0484, ext. 303.