Elk Grove student earns Union League Club of Chicago "Democacy in Action" Award

Elk Grove High School senior Christopher J. Cirrincione earned a Union League Club of Chicago “Democracy in Action” $1,000 award for his “exemplary civic leadership, advocacy and commitment to democratic principles.”

Mayor Richard M. Daley presented the award to Cirrincione at the Club's 124th annual celebration of George Washington's birthday on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Annually, the Union League Club celebrates the life and legacy of the nation's first president with an evening of patriotic entertainment, music, speeches and the presentation of Democracy in Action Awards to Illinois junior and senior high school students who demonstrate exemplary civic leadership.

Cirrincione, 17, was cited by Melinda L. Perkins, social sciences teacher and Tom Smith, head debate coach, who nominated him, “as a model of community spirit, civic virtue and leadership.”

According to Perkins and Smith, throughout his high school career, “ Cirrincione has demonstrated both leadership and excellence in classes and activities designed for the understanding of history political democracy and cultural awareness.”

Elected class board president during his freshman, sophomore and junior years, as a senior, Ciccincione was elected Student Council president. As executive leader, according to his teachers, Cirrincione spearheaded popular school activities and fundraisers, bolstered community awareness through food drives, charity collections and staff appreciation events.

He earned a four- year tenure as the student member of the Principal's Advisory Committee and was selected to represent Elk Grove High School on District 214's Superintendent's Advisory Board.

Cirrincione has served as a volunteer social studies classroom aide and Peer Helper at school events. He helped coordinate a transition program for incoming freshman and was selected as a liaison to local junior high schools to promote Elk Grove Village High School's World Language program.

A member of the school's Congressional Debate team for the past four years, Cirrincione was appointed team captain and selected to membership on the Illinois All-State debate Team.

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The Elk Grove community at large has also benefited from Cirrincione's leadership, according to his faculty advisors.

For the past three years, he has provided religious instruction to elementary school students in his neighborhood. Recently, he assisted in planning and implementing Elk Grove Village's first exchange program with students from its sister city, Termini Imerese, Italy.

In his junior year, Cirrincione became actively involved in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and through his leadership as chairman of the local event has increased student and community participation to the level of sixty teams now engaged in a fight for a cure.

Cirrincione indicates that he intends to pursue his studies at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, where he plans to major in history and Spanish, in preparation for a secondary school education career.

“The Union League Club of Chicago's Democracy in Action Award highlights the many ways in which young people have an impact on their peers and their communities. Illinois high school students who have demonstrated an understanding of and a commitment to the principles of democracy are a great asset to our state,” said Corinne Morrissey, director of the academic achievement program at The John Marshall Law School and chair of the Club's Public Affairs Committee.

“The Democracy in Action Award candidates are nominated by teachers or faculty members who have direct knowledge of the students' achievement and character. The nominees are judged on their civic participation and leadership in the community for such actions as leadership in student government or facilitating civic participation through voter registration or other public service initiatives that emphasize the values of citizenship,” said Kimberly Palmisano, a Chicago attorney and chair of the Club's DIAA selection committee.

ABOUT THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF CHICAGO

Club Leaders Forum, an independent national survey of 7,000 club managers, presidents, directors and owners, has named the Union League Club of Chicago the number one private city club in the U.S.

In 1879, the Club's founders, members of Chicago's business, civic, cultural and political leadership, were motivated by the legacy of the Union Leagues of America, patriotic organizations that formed during the Civil War to raise funds for the Union Army. Following the end of the war, these individuals established a private club dedicated to upholding democracy, instilling patriotism in future generations, and providing ongoing support for America's military.

Since its inception, the Union League Club of Chicago has supported the men and women of the U.S military and their families through numerous initiatives.

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The Club is headquarters for the Armed Forces Council of Chicago, a non-profit organization that works closely with the City of Chicago and regional military commands in support of public celebrations involving the Armed Forces, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and Armed Forces Week.

Two civilian military support groups operate within the Union League Club under the aegis of the Armed Forces Council: the “Chicago 502 Club,” a unit that assists the soldiers and families of the elite 502nd Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army and the” 721 Club,” a unit that aids the crew and families of the U.S. Navy's USS Chicago 721, a nuclear submarine.

In cooperation with the Medal of Honor Society and the Pritzker Military Library, the Club has been privileged to host Medal of Honor recipients on numerous occasions.

Since its founding, the Union League Club of Chicago has adopted “commitment to community and country” as its primary focus. It is the only private club in the United States with a full-time public affairs staff. It also owns an internationally recognized collection of more than 750 pieces of art, mostly American, and has a curator and conservation staff.

The Club focuses attention on critical public policy issues and stimulates action on important non-partisan initiatives.

Early in its history, the Union League Club protected the City of Chicago's municipal personnel code and urged adoption of what became the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that mandated election of U.S. Senators by popular vote instead of state legislators.

Recognized for its work in promoting election and judicial reforms, the Union League Club is credited with launching the Chicago Crime Commission and helping to shape a new Illinois state Constitution in 1970.

More recently, the Union League Club's public affairs committee led the charge to establish Chicago's Harold Washington Library, the largest public library building in the world, advocated a moratorium on executions in Illinois and supported legislation to reform the state's capital punishment system.

Among the Club's current initiatives are the improvement of regional transportation, literacy programs and education funding in Illinois. It also invites candidates for major public offices to participate in non-partisan public forums.

The Union League Boys and Girls Club is one of three independent philanthropic foundations operated by the Union League Club of Chicago.

The Club also operates the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation that provides scholarships and grants in art, music, writing, performance, civic and academics for hundreds of young people; and the Chicago Engineers' Foundation, that grants college scholarships to engineering students.