Neighbors in the news: Des Plaines resident receives park district's Honor Roll Award
• The Des Plaines Park District honored Donna Adam with its Community Honor Roll Award for her "outstanding dedication and commitment to furthering recreational benefits for the Des Plaines community."
The award was presented at the Aug. 17 park board meeting.
Adam founded the Clean Up-Give Back organization in 2017, in which she works with volunteers to clean up areas in need. Park district Executive Director Don Miletic said, "She cleans with a smile and is someone that goes above and beyond."
In 2021 alone, Clean Up-Give Back's 1,379 volunteers were able to gather more than 40,000 pounds of litter.
Adam has also assisted the park district at many neighborhood parks, at the Fall Fest event, and at Izaak Walton to ensure open space in the Cook County Forest Preserves is clean for Des Plaines residents.
• Daniel Roque, a Maine West High School senior, won the "Outstanding Affiliate Award" at the National History Day National Contest.
The award is sponsored by the National Park Service, and just two entries - one in the junior division and one in the senior division - from each state earn the "Outstanding Affiliate" honor.
Roque's exhibit, "Uprising in the Coalfields: The Battle of Blair Mountain," was the project chosen to receive the senior division award in Illinois.
"Daniel's exhibit was superior," said social science teacher Bryanne Roemer. "His strong thesis, along with the level of research and his analysis, made his project stand out from others. Additionally, his attention to detail and graphic design in his exhibit aided in the understanding of his research and analysis."
More than 600,000 middle and high school students entered the competition during the 2021-2022 academic school year. After advancing through school, local and affiliate levels, just 2,700 students advanced to the National Contest, presenting documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances and websites.
National History Day is a nonprofit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history.
• Deborah Yates of Arlington Heights and Adelina Mozayeni of Hainesville were selected to compete in the 2022 Great Wisconsin Quilt Show's Quilt Contest. Quilters from across the country submitted their best work for judging, and Yates' quilts, "The Circle Game" and "Treasures from St. Mark's," and Mozayeni's quilt, "Anca's and Lena's Legacy," were selected to compete.
A 40-year veteran of quilting, Yates was inspired by her aunt to quilt.
"My aunt taught me to make crazy quilt blocks from leftover fabrics from clothes that I made," she said.
Mozayeni believes every quilt has a story.
"I wanted this quilt to look like a cross stitch to honor both my grandmothers. Anca taught me how to sew cross stitch, and Lena taught me how to use her wonderful Singer machine. Both of them planted the seeds of sewing in my heart, so now they bloomed in this beautiful garden," she said in her artist's statement.
Quilts accepted in the Quilt Contest are judged on visual impact and stitching technique. Awards are given for first, second and third place recognition in each category, and one quilt is awarded as "Best of Show." One quilt is also selected to receive the Viewers' Choice Award by those who attend the event.
Presented by PBS Wisconsin, The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show will be held Sept. 8-10 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Glenview native Luke Blockovich spent the summer interning for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, working behind the scenes in the senator's Capitol Hill office.
Blockovich took interest in politics during his high school political science class. From his perspective, politics is a field that offers the opportunity to have a direct, positive impact on someone's life and to address major issues in a lasting way through legislation.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve in Sen. Durbin's office," Blockovich said. "This internship has offered me a unique and invaluable experience working in a professional environment, while also helping me grow as a person. I will always value the work I have done and relationships I have made along the way. I look forward to seeing what the future brings."
• Submit 'Neighbors in the News' items to ntwohey@dailyherald.com.