On Wednesday, December 3, 2014, Governor Pat Quinn announced the winners of the 32nd Annual Governor’s Hometown Awards during a ceremony at the Illinois State Library in Springfield, IL. The awards are presented to recognize volunteers across the State for their work in improving their communities. To receive the award for Whiteside County were Friends of the Parks members Stan Mitick and Ann Slavin; Morrison, IL, Mayor Everett Pannier and City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen; Whiteside County Economic Development Director Betty Steinert.
Below are Friends of the Parks members at the Friday, September 6, 2013, ground-breaking ceremony of the award winning Morrison-Rockwood Recreational Trail. Left-to-right are Slavin, Pat Zuidema, Jim Modglin, President Glenn Ackeberg, Mitick, Secretary Marc Adami, Pannier, Bob Brandon, and Treasurer Barb Benson. Bill McNeal, Roger Stuart, and Kristi Wambeke were unable to attend.
“The Governor’s Home Town Awards honor…13 groups who have selflessly dedicated their time and efforts to making their communities a better place to live,” Governor Quinn said. “Volunteers are the heart of Illinois, and we applaud these groups for improving the lives of others and truly making a difference in our State.”
The 13 winning projects represent the work of nearly 2500 volunteers who devoted almost 30,000 hours of their time. A list of cup finalists follows.
Cup Finalists
- Cook County: Schaumburg, Older Adult Market. Through a partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Market provides a choice-style food pantry for seniors at no charge.
- Macoupin County: Carlinville, Federated Church Take it to Town. Eighteen local organizations had their “dream projects” completed with volunteer labor.
- Whiteside County: Morrison, Morrison-Rockwood Recreational Trail. Volunteers worked for 16 years to create the impressive “green” passageway from the community to the Morrison-Rockwood State Park.
- Will County: New Lenox, Preparing Citizens for Emergencies and Disasters. The Village was the ninth community in the U.S. to receive the designation as a “Safe Community” by the National Safety Council.
The Governor’s Hometown Award recipients are selected by volunteer judges who review and rank applications based on a variety of factors, including local need, volunteer participation, use of resources, and the results achieved. The projects are judged within their population categories as well as within their assigned project categories. The project categories include services and mentorship; beautification and sustainability; parks and recreation; memorials and monuments; history and historic preservation. The judges then select one project from each population category to compete for the coveted Governor’s Cup.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) administers the Governor’s Hometown Awards Program. Each winning group receives a road sign for its community and plaque recognizing its efforts. The Governor’s Cup winner receives the traveling trophy and a unique road sign that proclaims its status as the overall winner.
“These awards celebrate the spirit of volunteerism in Illinois,” DCEO Director Adam Pollet said. “They show the connection between grass-roots activism and community improvement. When people unite behind a cause, they make a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors.”