Annual Gurnee event honors our local heroes

Local heroes come in all forms, and they'll be in the spotlight in what's become an annual event in Gurnee.

Breakfast Exchange Club of Gurnee members will host a 9/11 community remembrance and "Everyday Hero" ceremony from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Viking Park's band shell on Old Grand Avenue, just east of O'Plaine Road.

Exchange Club member Bill Froese said the local heroes range from someone working with children or coming to the rescue of an automobile crash victim. He said all kinds of great stories have been heard at the event that began in 2002.

"It's become a part of the village," Froese said of the ceremony. "And it's extended itself beyond the 9/11 remembrance."

At the event, Gurnee Police Chief Robert Jones will present the Exchange Club's Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award to David Bertaud. The law enforcement Civilian of the Year award will go to community service officer Dawn Stroh.

Gurnee Fire Chief Fred Friedl will present the Exchange Club's Firefighter of the Year award to Timothy Steffens.

Dorothy Desmond will present the Exchange Club's Book of Golden Deeds award to former Gurnee Elementary District 56 Superintendent, Ben Martindale, who now leads the Round Lake area's school system.

Exchange Club's Book of Golden Deeds honors America's unsung, everyday heroes.

Second-grade singers from District 56's Spaulding School and the Great Lakes Naval Station band will perform Sunday.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik is scheduled to attend the event. There also will be participation from the Gurnee police and fire honor guard, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Gurnee Breakfast Exchange Club members sponsor a plethora of fund-raising activities. Some local agencies and programs backed the club include A Safe Place, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Lake County, Warren Township food pantry and the Children's Advocacy Center.