Schaumburg's volunteers honored by creator of 2013's 'Batkid' Make-A-Wish phenomenon

Schaumburg on Tuesday honored the village's top volunteers of the past year, who in turn received some inspiration from the woman who spearheaded the world-famous effort to turn San Francisco into Gotham City for "Batkid" Miles Scott in November 2013.

Patricia Wilson, TED speaker and former CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, served as the keynote speaker of Schaumburg's 35th Volunteer of the Year Awards Luncheon at Chandler's Banquets.

Her efforts to fulfill the superhero wish of a 5-year-old leukemia survivor became a global phenomenon, and she more recently oversaw the Golden Mile Project that turned a 1.5-mile stretch of dangerous roadway in San Francisco into an art-immersive urban oasis.

Both undertakings, and many more, were entirely dependent on volunteers, Wilson said.

"I'm a huge advocate of volunteers," she told attendees of the luncheon. "I feel like when I volunteer I get much more back than I give. I hope you feel that way, too."

Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly and other village officials introduced "the superheroes in this room."

William Clark was named Volunteer of the Year from among 13 nominees in the adult category for having volunteered at Almost Home Foundation for homeless cats and dogs for 18 years, including as its current medical coordinator.

Considering the many responsibilities he's taken on at the foundation, Clark is believed to have saved the lives of more than 10,000 animals.

Conant High School senior Anmay Gupta was named Youth Volunteer of the Year from among six nominees. He created more than 100 reusable face shields with a 3D printer during the pandemic and distributed them at local hospitals and nursing homes.

Anmay also created an app and organization to teach elementary school students how to build and code robots. He also shows community members at the Schaumburg Township District Library how to use 3D printers.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA's Schaumburg Chapter was named Volunteer Organization of the Year from among five nominees. For the past 24 years, the chapter's volunteers have been meeting at the Schaumburg Park District's Community Recreation Center to plan their work in the village and surrounding communities.

Among its recent achievements, the local HSS chapter helped with Schaumburg Township's vaccination drive, collected and donated 3,400 pounds of food to the township food pantry, volunteered to package meals at Feed My Starving Children in Schaumburg, and assisted with the village's Adopt-A-Highway program, Septemberfest and a number of other charitable events.

As part of a national organization, the Schaumburg chapter has done its share of a mission to assist families in need, food pantries and first responders.

"Thank you to all the volunteers who keep Schaumburg working," Dailly told all the winners and nominees.