Aurora pastor is Kane County Citizen of the Year

A longtime Aurora pastor and champion of community development and immigrant rights has been named the 2008 Kane County Citizen of the Year.

Rev. David Engbarth, of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 620 S. Fifth St., will be presented the Roscoe Ebey Citizen of the Year Award during a public ceremony Friday, Nov. 21, at the Kane County sheriff's office.

Manny Maysonet, assistant director of Aurora's Economic Development Commission, nominated Engbarth for the award. Maysonet was a parishioner at Engbarth's former church, St. Nicholas Church, 276 High St., and followed him two years ago to his new church.

Nominating Engbarth, Maysonet specifically mentioned his work "providing spiritual guidance to incarcerated individuals at the Kane County jail" and his leadership in a $4 million capital campaign to improve the church's Fifth Street campus.

"The purpose of the Roscoe Ebey award is to honor a man who was a selfless servant," Maysonet said Wednesday. "Father David demonstrates all of the qualities of being a humble servant day in and day out. I see very strong parallels between him and Roscoe Ebey."

Engbarth said he was "shocked" and "very humbled" to learn he had been both nominated by his friend and selected.

"I know there are many other people who deserve it much more than me and I mean that," he said Wednesday. "As a Christian and as a priest, I know that helping make people's lives better is what my life needs to be about. I have found that the best happiness lies in service."

Engbarth is the second recipient of the award, which was named for an 83-year-old Aurora Township resident who was murdered in May 2007 in his home. Ebey's neighbor Leslie Fleming, who tackled the murder suspect and held him until police arrived, received the initial recognition.

Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said he decided to name the award for Ebey, who was known in the neighborhood as a person who would always help a neighbor, often volunteering to cut their grass.

Engbarth will be presented with the award at 11 a.m. Friday in the Kane County Sheriff's Department, 37W755 Route 38, St. Charles Township.