Fox Valley Young Marines named 'Division 5 Unit of the Year'

The Young Marines, a national youth organization, has named the Fox Valley Young Marines the "Division 5 Unit of the Year." The unit has 11 youth members and eight adult volunteers. Courtney Gutierrez is the unit commander, and the unit meets in Elgin.

Fox Valley Young Marines is the top unit in Division 5 which includes 10 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

"We were extremely excited and surprised when we learned about this honor," Unit Commander Gutierrez said. "Part of why we were honored is that we always remember our youths come first. Everything we do is to help them be successful, positive leaders. This year was especially challenging. We had to consider what the isolation of the shutdown would do to their social connections and their mental health. That was our main driving force in keeping weekly drills going, so our Young Marines would have some normalcy during this hard time."

Prior to the lockdown, unit members were able to attend the annual Elburn Lions Club Veterans Luncheon, where they provided a Color Guard, served lunch to the veterans, and provided clean up afterwards. In addition, youth members wrote holiday cards to veterans.

They also collected gently used clothing from unit families and neighbors to donate to a local foster agency. This proved an effective way for unit members to help other youths in need.

"What is so gratifying is observing the growth of each Young Marine," Unit Commander Gutierrez said. "I've seen extremely shy young people come out of their shells and become mature leaders. I love that each youth member is given opportunities to shine in his or her own way. We have faced many challenges in five short years, but we have never given up hope in what this program can do for our kids. The program is very special."

For more information about the Fox Valley Young Marines, call Courtney Gutierrez at (779) 777-2395.

The Young Marines is a national nonprofit 501(c)3 youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. It promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Since the Young Marines' humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to 235 units with 7,500 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Okinawa with affiliates in other countries.

For more information, visit www.YoungMarines.com