Above and beyond: Meet the 2025 Arlington Heights Hearts of Gold award recipients

Sixteen people who live and work in Arlington Heights will be honored in February for going above and beyond to give back to the community.

The village special events commission’s 2025 Hearts of Gold awards banquet is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 75 W. Algonquin Road.

Tickets cost $45 and are available for purchase at vah.com/heartsofgold.

Now in its 27th year, Hearts of Gold awards are chosen by members of the volunteer commission through nominations submitted by community members starting in October.

Here are this year’s winners in 11 award categories:

Mentor — Jeff Towle

Towle is an electrician, husband, father of three boys and longtime coach in the community. He started coaching years ago when his oldest son began playing flag football as a first grader. Towle has gone on to coach youth sports in baseball, football and wrestling, and he was instrumental in re-establishing the wrestling programs at Thomas and South middle schools. He emphasizes the importance of hard work, perseverance and character, and believes that success is not just measured by wins and losses but by the personal growth and confidence students gain through their efforts.

Best Neighbor — Peter Nosal

Nosal has been a mail carrier since 2011 in Arlington Heights, where he has gotten to know neighbors along his 12-mile daily route. Whether fixing flat tires, leaving toys and notes in mailboxes, spotting and sometimes returning escaped pets, or just stopping to catch up, Nosal is a staple of the community. He’s the unofficial neighborhood watch — raising the alarm when a senior neighbor fell victim to a scammer — and keeping an eye on homes when people are out of town. He also spearheaded the post office’s participation in the Frontier Days Fourth of July parade for the first time last year, recruiting fellow carriers to walk with him. Immigrating from Tarnow, Poland, at age 20, Nosal now lives in Arlington Heights with his wife and two sons.

Educator — Matt Mishler

Mishler has mentored students over a 22-year career in Northwest Suburban High School District 214, including the last 14 years at Rolling Meadows High School, while also connecting with them outside the classroom by coaching football and, more recently, golf. Students say the math teacher makes himself available before school to provide extra help, responds to their emails, and chats with them in the hallways. He’s demonstrated a willingness to do whatever is needed for his students to succeed while encouraging them to take ownership of their own learning. “If you show up, I'll show up,” he has said.

Young at Heart — Jim Spannagel

As a master gardener for the past decade, Spannagel has volunteered at the Chicago Botanic Garden and served as president of the Arlington Heights Garden Club. Under his guidance, the club has contributed plantings at the post office, American Legion Hall, butterfly gardens at Lake Arlington, a community garden at Forest View Educational Center, a Clearbrook group home, the Viatorian Giving Garden, Northwest Compass and WINGS. More than $35,000 has been generated through garden club plant sales to fund scholarships for students and provide donations to local nonprofits. As a board member for the Arlington Heights Historical Society, Spannagel cared for the grounds, helped rebuild the replica log cabin, and planted moss hanging baskets from the porch of the Banta House.

Heroic — Jim Miks

Miks joined District 214 in 1993 and has been a teacher at John Hersey High School for the last two dozen years, bringing a teaching philosophy that melds students’ academic, intellectual and civic selves. The English teacher and veterans advocate heads a yearlong, all-school project in conjunction with A Soldier’s Journey Home organization to build a house from the ground up for a disabled veteran. Miks worked with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to bring a mobile Sept. 11, 2001 museum to Hersey last October — an event that involved students, residents and the police and fire departments.

Young Champion — Shyla Sood

Sood, a junior at Hersey, has educated the community about heart disease prevention by sharing heart-healthy recipes on social media, founding the Hearts for Tomorrow school club and launching the Minds on Medicine podcast, where she interviews health care professionals to inspire teens to consider medical careers. Sood’s journey began in seventh grade, when her father suffered a heart attack and she committed herself to promoting a heart-healthy lifestyle. Her fundraising efforts through the American Heart Association’s Teen of Impact campaign raised $14,255, earning her the Illinois Teen of Impact Award. She also spearheaded an annual CPR training event at Hersey.

Volunteer — Dave and Judy Raub

The Raubs have coached pole vaulting at Prospect High School for more than two decades, after their oldest daughter expressed an interest in what was then a relatively new girls track event. During their coaching tenure, Prospect has sent 20 pole vaulters to the state meet, and their youngest daughter still holds the school record for highest girl’s pole vault. The coaches say winning is great, but the real reward is seeing girls at all levels of talent do things that surprise even themselves.

Community Spirit — Carmella Lowth

Lowth is co-founder of The Buddy Foundation, a no-kill shelter for homeless animals established in 1995. As the volunteer president and coordinator, Lowth manages more than 300 volunteers, assists with intake and care of pets, oversees purchasing, handles bills, and manages donations of food, supplies and financial support. She has also been an active member of the Frontier Days committee since 1992, serving in various roles from administrative coordinator to board member, including terms as vice president and chairperson. For three decades, she has taken on the role of Fourth of July parade chair. Lowth also quietly helps support a close friend who is ill, assisting with doctor appointments and socializing with her five pets as needed.

Business Leader — Jeff Probst

The owner of Jeff’s Auto, Probst has dedicated many hours to assisting those in need of auto repair work but are not able to afford it, providing discounted or free services to local churches and nonprofits. Probst and his employees frequently help Viator House of Hospitality by inspecting, servicing and repairing cars that have been gifted to the house, and donating the parts and labor required to get them up and running safely. Probst has taught the residents — immigrant young men who are seeking asylum and working low-wage jobs — basic car maintenance skills, and has been known to make house calls to help save them the cost of a tow.

Kenneth M. Bonder Beautification — Arlington Heights TreeKeepers

Linnea O’Neill, Mary Anne O’Toole, Mary Hahn, Cyndi Kemp and Karen Mukhopadhyaya are members of a local chapter of Openlands, a group committed to protecting the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois. They work with the village’s public works department, school districts and the park district to prune and plant trees. To date, new trees have been planted at Thomas, South and MacArthur middle schools and Prospect High School. The TreeKeepers have worked with students to plant the trees, while educating them about the care of trees.

Pam Stocking Community Service — Kathy O’Neill

O’Neill, a registered nurse who is coordinator of pastoral healthcare at Our Lady of the Wayside Parish, organizes the annual Emily Holum Blood Drive and flu shot clinics, facilitates ministers of care who bring Communion to homebound parishioners and nursing homes, and co-leads the Companions on the Journey grief support group. She also facilitates the church’s Domestic Abuse Ministry and the Meeting Mental Health with Grace Ministry.