Elgin Parks and Recreation Foundation awards scholarship named for retired city employee

When the Elgin Parks and Recreation Foundation decided to fund an annual scholarship for a part-time employee, there wasn't any argument about who they should name it after.

On Thursday, the foundation gave out its first Clif Wells Scholarship to Andres Dominguez, an Illinois State University student who has been a seasonal camp counselor with the department since 2019.

The $2,500 scholarship will be given annually to a parks and recreation part-time employee who exemplifies the qualities Wells exhibited as a part-timer with the department for 44 years.

"Clif was all about people," Parks and Recreation Director Maria Cumpata said. "He knew everybody, and everybody loved him. He was our go-to guy for everything for a long, long time."

Dominguez, who is studying art and education at ISU, shares Wells' penchant for being a people person.

"I like making connections with the kids to see what their life is about because I consider each kid to be very valuable," he said.

Cumpata said the department employs about 250 year-round part-timers and 350 more seasonal part-time workers. She said she hopes the scholarship will be an incentive to attract more employees, which she says are hard to come by these days.

Wells, who retired in January, was surprised with the honor of having a scholarship named after him.

"I'm still pinching myself," he said. "All I did was go to work and do my job."

The Elgin Parks and Recreation Foundation is the volunteer-run, fundraising arm of the department that helps make programs available for all youths, as well as funding scholarships and other special programming. Its biggest annual fundraiser, the Illinois Brews at Bowes Creek craft beer event, takes place on Sept. 10.