Elgin man named Outstanding Young Person by Jaycees

Elgin’s Jeff Turner, owner of In the Neighborhood Deli, has been honored with the Illinois Jaycees highest award. The leadership and service organization named him one of the top 10 Outstanding Young People of 2012.

Turner, 38, organizes four community dinners each year, serves on the advisory boards of The Salvation Army and Elgin Community Network, is a member of Elgin Climate Change Organization, is on the board of Crusader Youth Football and is a member of the Elgin Jaycees.

Michael Copeland, president of the local Jaycees chapter, nominated Turner because of the positive impact he makes on the community through the dinners and his other service.

“Time is your most valuable thing and he gives more of his time than he keeps to himself,” Copeland said.

Turner said the only reason he can do that is because of his staff at the deli, his family, his friends and a supportive community.

Turner is passionate about food as the foundation of his ability to help people — sometimes that’s by cooking for people or teaching them about food. He said it’s more than just seeing food as sustenance but teaching things like the value of family dinners in rearing children.

Food gives Turner the chance to teach his two kids about service and giving back to the community — whether that community is local or worldwide. He also works with the Tanzanian Education Project teaching residents in a Tanzanian community to live sustainably.

For Turner, food is the center of it all.

“That’s my gift and what I was put here to do — to bring people together through food,” Turner said.

According to the Jaycees, the 10 Outstanding Young People award recognizes people between the ages of 18 and 40 for financial success and economic innovation, social improvement to major contemporary problems, philanthropic contributions or voluntary service, politics or government leadership or accomplishment, moral or religious leadership, athletic accomplishment and success in the influence of public opinion. Individuals do not have to be Jaycees to be recognized.

The last Elgin recipient was Deborah Perryman in 2006. The Elgin High School teacher was named Kane County Educator of the Year a few years later.

The award ceremony will be held May 12 in Springfield and is open to the public.