One Hope United honors Spring Grove volunteer

One Hope United Northern Region has named Robin Korom of Lake County as the nonprofit agency's Volunteer of the Year for 2011.

One Hope United provides devoted human services that impact more than 26,000 at-risk children and families throughout northern Illinois each year.

Born and raised in Antioch, Korom now resides in Spring Grove with her husband, Louis. They have three children.

Professionally, she has served the business community in Lake County for more than 25 years as a commercial lender and is vice president of commercial lending at Consumers Credit Union in Gurnee. She says this work has allowed her to assist entrepreneurs realize their dreams of small business ownership in Lake County.

In between many hobbies, work, and family, Korom has contributed tremendously to the mission of One Hope United throughout the last four years.

She serves as the Blue Ribbon Committee chair, which plans a major fundraising event each year to raise money for the nonprofit during Child Abuse Prevention Month. It has taken on the goal to raise $200,000 for OHU programs in 2012.

Korom lends business sense, organization skills, and creativity to the committee and is also an integral part of the agency's back-to-school drive, holiday donation recruitment, annual golf outing, and Thanksgiving meal preparation for at-risk children and families.

“By the grace of God, I have had many blessings in my life: a loving family, a warm, safe home to grow up in, the ability to get a good education and many positive role models to guide and support me in all that I do,” Korom said. “Getting involved with One Hope United has given me the opportunity to give something back to those who have not been as fortunate as I am.”