HandsOn honors some very special volunteers

HandsOn Suburban Chicago, formerly known as the Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago, honored six outstanding volunteers and volunteer programs last week for their exceptional impact in the community.

Presented annually during National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, the Impact Awards recognize volunteers throughout Northern Cook and DuPage counties who inspire service and make a positive impact on the lives of others.

There are six awards this year: the Emerging Leader Award; the Community Champion Award; the Lead with Experience Award; the Business 2 Community Award; and the Environmental Impact Award, sponsored by Altria.

The six Impact Award recipients and four honorable mentions were honored at the annual Impact Awards reception April 19.

Sylwia Dutka

Sylwia received the Emerging Leader Impact Award for her dedicated volunteer work at the Kenneth Young Resale Shop.

Dutka, a high school student, devoted 200 hours in the past year to the shop, the proceeds of which directly fund programs such as Meals on Wheels and Senior Services at Kenneth Young Center.

Sylwia’s determination to do the best job not only encourages others to do their best, but also increases proceeds to fund the KYC. It is Sylwia’s willingness to serve and her quiet persistence and enthusiasm that is catching ... people just want to work a little harder and smarter when Sylwia is around.

Wendy Copeland

Wendy was selected to receive the Community Champion Impact Award for her work with The Bridge Youth & Family Services in Palatine.

She began volunteering there in 1988 as a one-on-one mentor. Returning in 2008 to join the board of directors, she was an advocate for The Bridge throughout this time. Whether implementing new fundraising events like the walkathon or chairing the annual gala, Wendy’s active leadership is an inspiration to others who are not sure where they can help.

Since joining the Bridge board, she has been directly involved in raising almost a quarter of a million dollars to help children and families who cannot afford to pay for the mental health services The Bridge provides.

Doreen Apgar

Doreen was nominated by the Women In Need Growing Stronger program and was honored with the Lead With Experience Impact Award.

Doreen comes in faithfully at least two times a week to sort through the new donations. Over a year ago, when the store burned to the ground, she was among a core group who rallied to open the new location.

Doreen’s interest in tending the book section of the resale shop led her to become the first “Steward” of a section. Eight years later, the Stewardship program has allowed the store to be a steady performer.

According to a WINGS nominator, “The faithful work of Doreen Apgar has taught us that each person can have a specific and specialized role in our organization if we will only provide them the opportunity to excel!”

Alan Kalmar

Sponsored by Altria, the 2012 Environmental Impact Award is presented to Alan Kalmar for his firm’s time and resources volunteered to remove hazardous chemicals from Elgin High School.

Kalmar, a biochemist and an owner of R3 Environmental Management Inc. in Elgin, was the first corporate sponsor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s School Chemical Cleanout Campaign.

The SC3 program works with industry partners to provide schools with the knowledge to recognize the risks improperly stored, hazardous and outdated chemicals pose to students, teachers and the surrounding environment.

This program also educates teachers on green chemistry for science experiments.

Honorable Mentions

The selection committee also awarded four Honorable Mention Awards to recognize outstanding community volunteers who continue to make a difference.

Isha Jog is an emerging leader, showing dedication in for her work with DARE America and Holiday Heroes.

Marki Kaim was recognized for her leadership organizing a cat and dog food drive for the Almost Home Foundation.

Bonita Osborne was recognized for extraordinary dedication to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, providing respite care to older adults.

Finally, Assurance Working Together was recognized for its work with Shelter Inc., including providing every child in Shelter’s care with a backpack filled with appropriate school supplies.

Zurich/ North America

Zurich is the recipient of the 2012 Business 2 Community Impact Award for its exceptional and ongoing commitment to service in communities where employees work and live.

Through this award, HOSC hopes to highlight the impact of its focus on employee engagement as the company celebrates its 100-year anniversary. ZurichNA’s innovative “100 Ways to Serve” initiative, empowering employees regionally and across the continent to complete 100 community service projects, is an outstanding example of finding solutions through collaborative service.

Employee teams have supported children, hungry families, cancer patients, environmental needs, and emergency response capabilities. A great example of the expansion of skills-based volunteering in 2011 was the corporate law department providing area nonprofits with pro bono legal assistance.

Clearbrook

HOSC is proud to announce Clearbrook as the Volunteer Program of the Year. Clearbrook is committed to being a leader in creating innovative opportunities, services and support for people with disabilities. It also hosts a volunteer program that allows those engaged to make a true impact.

Nanci Chesek, retiring volunteer coordinator at Clearbrook, accepted the award. Nanci is a true professional and visionary in promoting volunteerism. No matter what the volunteer’s criteria is, we know she will always find a creative way to engage them with a project to enhance one of Clearbrook’s programs.

Nanci’s dedication to Clearbrook’s volunteer program has truly made an impact on the many volunteers who have passed through its doors. Her warm and upbeat disposition, coupled with her amazing ability to connect with people, results in a continual stream of new volunteers. Her sincere interest in learning all about a person is a key component to her successful recruitment.

To learn more about the award categories and to enjoy the stories of service of each recipient, visit www.volunteerinfo.net/.