Cameron gets Lifelong Learning Award
Penelope "Penny" Cameron, of Aurora, has spent many years bettering the community through her work on boards of directors and in county meeting rooms. But it is the time she has spent, and continues to spend, in front of chalkboards and in classrooms that has earned her the Lifelong Learning Award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.
Cameron first got involved in education as a Sunday school teacher. She liked it so much that she became an education major at Northern Illinois University and taught elementary school for five years before starting her family.
Cameron's first experience with Waubonsee came in the 1970s when she enrolled in two of the college's real estate courses to help her do a better job as a sales representative for her husband's business, Mercury Homes. As she does with most industries or projects she's involved in, Cameron went beyond simply working to serving, becoming active in Aurora's Carpenter's Place Board for Affordable Housing.
A few years later, Cameron decided to take her community service a step further by running for and earning a seat on the Kane County Board. To help her excel at this new challenge, she once again turned to Waubonsee.
"When you sit on these committees, you really have to understand the issues and ask the right questions," Cameron said. As chairman of the board's Human Services Commission, Cameron had all of the county's directors reporting to her, including the Technology Director. To familiarize herself with the computer field, which was just beginning to emerge in the early 1980s, Cameron enrolled in an Introduction to Computers course at the college.
"All of these department heads were buying computers, and I wanted to make sure all the machines would all be able to work together and talk to each other."
Throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, Cameron continued to serve on the Kane County Board and forest preserve board but still found time to take nine noncredit courses at Waubonsee with titles that included "Too Busy to Sew" and "Healthy Foods for the Harried Housewife."
Cameron moved from taking Waubonsee's courses to helping provide for them when she joined the Waubonsee Community College Foundation board of directors in 1999. The nonprofit organization provides support for the educational and charitable purposes of the college. One of its primary purposes is to raise money for student scholarships.
"Education is the key to the future for each person," Cameron said. "Scholarships often make the difference between someone being able to attend college or not. Every student I've met is so appreciative."
Cameron currently serves as the Waubonsee Community College Foundation board president and is a member of Northern Illinois University's College of Education Foundation. She personally has established scholarships at both schools and has helped persuade several community organizations to do the same, including the Aurora Republican Women's Club and Altrusa International.
While Cameron keeps busy finding funds for education, she has also been able to find some time for it herself, becoming active in Waubonsee's Lifelong Learning Institute. The LLI offers unique noncredit courses for learners over age 50.
"In LLI everyone has so much to offer," she said.
When asked to reflect on the idea of lifelong learning, Cameron said, "Learning allows you to make new friends and contribute to society. I just like to keep current. Everyone should continue to learn no matter how old they are."