Marklund presents advocacy awards to elected officials
Three suburban elected officials received recognition from Marklund, a nonprofit organization, for their individual efforts over the past year to support the organization's efforts to serve children and adults with profound developmental disabilities.
State Rep. Keith Wheeler, state Rep. Anna Moeller and Kane County Board member Drew Frasz each received Marklund's Excellence in Advocacy Awards.
• Rep. Moeller (43rd District) received the honor for her dedication to helping the nonprofit organization's initiative to build group homes (Community Independent Living Arrangements) in the Elgin area. Marklund President and CEO Gil Fonger and Government Relations Manager Mary Kobbeman presented the award at the Marklund Wasmond Center in Elgin, a residential/educational and therapeutic facility for children and adults with profound developmental disabilities.
"Rep. Moeller has been a wonderful supporter of this organization for many years," Fonger said. "We are so grateful for the time and dedication she has given us in our efforts to serve more individuals with disabilities through the development of group homes in the Elgin area."
• Marklund recognized Rep. Keith Wheeler (50th District) for his efforts made in support of the Marklund Day School, a nonpublic day school serving children with developmental disabilities, multiple medical needs and those on the Autism spectrum. Wheeler became Marklund's voice in Springfield when the Illinois State Board of Education made sudden and highly impactful changes to regulations with regard to students with special needs.
"I am tremendously honored to receive this Excellence in Advocacy award from the incredible team at Marklund," Rep. Wheeler said. "As a community, we should be eternally grateful for the work done by the staff at Marklund supporting the developmentally disabled and their families. It is truly a privilege for me to work alongside Gil Fonger and his team to advocate for Marklund's needs in Springfield."
"What makes Keith really stand out is his willingness to dig into the complexity of our issues," Fonger said. "He has always been there for us to provide the guidance and support needed to navigate the complexities of state government. Keith is never afraid to roll up his sleeves and help those we serve."
• Kane County Board member Drew Frasz also received special recognition for his efforts in assisting with the development process for Marklund's new Day School in Geneva. According to Fonger, Frasz's support in assisting with Marklund's relationship development with area residents during the early stages of planning for the new school helped smoothly move the process to a successful conclusion.
"I am proud to receive this honor," Frasz said. "The people at Marklund do amazing work every day to support those with disabilities, and I am happy I was able to help them work through this project to build this school that will serve special needs students in this area."
With locations in Geneva, Elgin and Bloomingdale, Marklund has more than 500 employees and serves 174 residents and nearly 70 students. For information, visit www.marklund.org or www.facebook.com/MarklundCharity.