Character Counts honors residents

At the April Barrington Village Board meeting, Character Counts! in the Barrington Area presented its annual awards to nine community members. The following people were honored because they represent one of the six pillars of character:

Gretchen Kozlowski (Caring): From the predawn shoveling of a new mother's driveway, to mobilizing adults and children to participate in "Feed My Starving Children," there is no limit to Kozlowski's random acts of kindness and caring.

Jennifer Garrels, Paul Conover, Jennifer Bulandr, David Holt (Fairness): These four founding members of "Special Voices" provide support, resources, and activities for children with special needs and their families. They are shining examples of parents who ensure fairness, not just for their children, but for all children.

Larissa Eliashevsky (Citizenship): Eliashevsky assists Greencastle of Barrington residents with medical, insurance, and social security forms and questions. She keeps records for each person and follows through with phone calls and letters when necessary - always with a cheery disposition and incredible sense of humor.

Ralph Wright (Respect): As the manager of Barrington's Hollywood Video store, Wright sponsored a holiday season collection of used DVD's to be sent to our troops serving overseas. The example that Ralph set inspired many residents to do the same.

Anthony Salcedo (Responsibility): Salcedo, a fifth-grade student at Sunny Hill, is naturally insightful and compassionate. Everybody, including his fellow classmates, reaps the benefits of his character and leadership. With Tony in the next generation, the future is most assuredly bright.

Clara Harrison (Trustworthiness): Harrison is someone who can always be trusted to bring brightness to a potentially dark time - from offering hope to a neighbor whose home was struck by lightening to preparing a home-cooked dinner for a local store manager working alone on Christmas Day.