Arlington Heights honors volunteers with big hearts

Javier Elias uses all the charm he developed during a career as an international sales manager to convince other immigrants they can learn to speak English as well as he has.

Elias, a volunteer in the English as a Second Language program at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, announced he will soon be 85 years old as he received the Young at Heart award at Saturday’s Hearts of Gold dinner in Arlington Heights.

His was one of 10 awards presented.

“Our wonderful library has been teaching to immigrants for nearly a century,” said Elias, “to help them become assimilated into this marvelous melting pot that we know as the United States of America.”

Elias had studied English when he was growing up in Mexico, but learned how to speak it in the U.S. Army right after World War II.

“The most wonderful gift the government gave me, putting me in the Army. I had to speak English all the time,” he said.

Elias tutors seven or eight people, spending an hour with each every week, said Katalin Zsupan, director of the library’s ESL program.

“He is very charming,” said Zsupan. “Some people beg to have him as their teacher. His energy motivates people.”

He has volunteered nine years at the library, most of that time teaching English.

Elias and his wife, Joan, have six adult children. One of them, Cathie Elias Madl of Mount Prospect, could not attend because she is a dental hygienist who was on her way to Guatemala to help people without access to dental care.

Neighbors described another winner, Diana Koss, as hurrying over with a ladder whenever they call with issues like a beeping smoke detector.

“At 10:30 at night she shows up with her ladder and Larry and a battery,” Joan Galinski said. “Larry’s the ladder holder. Diana climbs up and puts the battery in.”

Besides being heroes at Fountains of Arlington condominiums, Diana and Larry Koss, winners of the Best Neighbor award, also volunteer for Frontier Days Festival and Meals on Wheels.

Another Frontier Days volunteer is Pat Peery, who has served on the Festival Board for 10 years, including four years as president.

Jeani Cunningham, a member of the village’s special events commission that organizes the awards dinner, reported seeing Peery covered in pancake batter, carrying an 80-cup coffee pot full of water, and standing toe-to-toe with men 2 feet taller than she is.

“And any of these can happen at 6:30 in the morning or at midnight,” Cunningham said.

Frank Appleby, a founder and president of Peoples’ Bank, received the City of Good Neighbors award. He said of all the people in Arlington Heights “I can only think of nine people who are less deserving of this award than me. Probably 76,934 are more deserving than I am, and the nine people know who you are.”

Other winners are Andy Anderson, Mentor, for 16 years volunteering with South Middle School’s Science Olympiad; Genie Beck, Educator, literacy teacher at Windsor School; and Annalisa Baratta, 17, Young Champion, whose deeds include working with children in Costa Rica and Ghana.

Mark Rouse of Runners High ‘N Tri earned the Business Leader award and thanks for sponsoring runs in the village; Javier Villarreal’s Kenneth M. Bonder Beautification award honors the work he has done at his restaurant at Miner Street and Dunton Avenue; and Laura Merchut-Wesslund earned the Pam Stocking Community Service award for her work with people with special needs at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.