Don and Tory Haines are 2009 Charlemagne winners

Don and Tory Haines of St. Charles are one of only a handful of couples to win the Charlemagne Award, which was presented to them Jan. 23 by the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. The lifetime achievement award for community service goes back over 40 years.

"Both Don and Tory give back tremendously to the community," said Lori Hewitt, president of the St. Charles Chamber. "It so nice to see a couple where both of them give back."

"We were just overwhelmed," Tory said. "It was a huge surprise. It's never something you expect or feel worthy of."

"If something needs to be done, you do it, that's the was we were both brought up," Don said.

If Don and Tory feel they were not worthy of the award, others would strongly disagree. They have an impressive history of community involvement.

Tory chaired the Womens Business Council for the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, and served on the board of the Neighborhood Improvement Association for St. Charles Township.

She is a founding member of the board of the Elderday Center in Batavia. She chaired the citizens' referendum committee in 1998 for the St. Charles Public Library, and is currently a library board member.

A certified public accountant, Tory volunteered to make financial presentations at TriCity Family Services, a community-based counseling agency. This work lead to her creating Embrace A Family in 2005, a nonprofit organization for single mothers, with which she is still involved.

Don has served as an alderman for the City of St. Charles, and has also been on the police and fire commissions. He is the local coordinator for Toys for Tots, which brings presents to hundred of disadvantaged children each Christmas.

A former Marine, Don travels across the country welcoming Marines home and visiting wounded Marines.

Don was born and raised in St. Charles. The couple met when Tory was teaching third grade at St. Patrick's School. They married in November 1967.

Don is retired from ComEd. Tory returned to school and earned her accounting degree at Benedictine University. She is a partner in an accounting firm.

Neither Don or Tory has any plans to slow down.

"It's who we are, it's what we do," Tory said. "As long as we continue to be as blessed as we have been, we want to share it."