Student, chaplain win Schaumburg volunteer awards

A student filmmaker joined a VFW chaplain at the awards podium Tuesday, when both were named Schaumburg’s volunteers of the year.

Along with them were employees from the Assurance Agency, a Schaumburg insurance brokerage, who won top honors among organizations for their contributions and manpower to strengthen local charities.

The honors were handed out during the 24th annual Volunteer of the Year Awards Luncheon, emceed by Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson and held at Chandler’s restaurant.

“This village was founded by volunteers,” Larson said. “Clearly, without volunteers, we would not have the vibrant village we have today.”

Jay Flynn of Schaumburg took youth volunteer of the year honors for his work to cofound the village’s Screen Test Student Fest. He first suggested the idea in a letter to Village Manager Ken Fritz five years ago.

Since then, he has been involved with running the film fest, while getting more involved as a volunteer production assistant at the Prairie Center for the Arts.

“He is one of the few volunteers entrusted to operate village video production equipment,” said Rob Pileckis, Schaumburg’s production supervisor and the person who nominated Flynn.

Flynn is pursuing a technical theater and performing arts management major at Columbia College in Chicago, where he self-designed a course of study reflecting his interests from working at the Prairie Center.

“I’m doing everything I like, that I learned at the Prairie Center,” Flynn said.

Bud Napier was named individual volunteer of the year for his work with local veterans. Napier is an active member of VFW Post 2202 in Schaumburg, where he’s served in many capacities, including as its current chaplain.

His role goes well beyond that, said post Commander Joe Wein.

“He regularly volunteers to drive fellow veterans to their appointments at the (Veterans Administration) hospital,” Wein said. “But more than that, he serves as a mentor to myself and other officers of the VFW, with his past experiences and knowledge.”

True to form, Napier downplayed his efforts, insisting he knew nothing of his nomination or what would earn him recognition.

“I thought I was coming for a free lunch,” Napier said.

With its win for organizational volunteer of the year, Assurance Agency is on a roll. The Schaumburg company recently was named the second best place to work in the Chicago area by a local news outlet.

Part of what makes them stand out is their volunteer efforts. Assurance employees began volunteering five years ago in the community, and they recently met to kick off a new year of service projects.

One of their favorite recipients is Shelter, Inc., based in Arlington Heights. The child welfare agency receives backpacks each summer from Assurance employees, as well as cleaning supplies for their group homes and gifts during the holidays.

But that is just the start of Assurance’s service projects. Employees have painted two group homes for Clearbrook in Mount Prospect, helped shepherd Special Olympics athletes at a tennis tournament and assembled more than 1,000 care packages for deployed military in conjunction with the Yellow Ribbon Project in Palatine.