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HOME TOWN AWARDS
RECOGNIZE VOLUNTEERISM
By JAN M. GRAYSON, Director
Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
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Volunteers make a tremendous difference in the
lives of their fellow citizens. As municipal officials,
each of you know how important citizen involvement is
to your communities — raising funds for parks and
other public services, serving on volunteer boards and
commissions, providing assistance to senior citizens,
counseling youths to avoid delinquency.
Ten years ago, Illinois began to recognize the hard
work and dedication of its volunteers through a unique
program — the Governor's Home Town Awards. Administered by the Department of Commerce and
Community Affairs, with assistance from the Department on Aging and the Lieutenant Governor's Office of
Volunteer Services, these non-monetary awards offer
the state and local communities an opportunity to
commend volunteers for their contributions.
On June 13, Governor Jim Edgar named 69 winners
in this year's Home Town Awards competition. As usual, the competition was fierce — 120 projects in eight
population categories were nominated for awards. In
addition to the general awards, special recognition was
given to projects that showed outstanding volunteer
efforts related to economic development, achievement
by or for youths, and activities by or for senior citizens.
More than 400 people traveled to Springfield to
attend the banquet honoring the winners. They heard
Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra, whose duties include responsibility for the state's volunteer and senior action center,
laud their achievements. And they cheered when
Quincy received the overall award — the Governor's
Cup — for its "Good News" project, providing a happy
holiday season to 100 needy families in the Quincy area
last December.
As in past years, the Governor's Home Town
Awards were judged by a group of impartial volunteers
on the basis of demonstrated local need and extent of
community participation, as well as the project's results
and continuity. Winners of the general awards, senior
achievement awards, youth achievement awards and
economic development awards received road signs and
commemorative plaques noting their selection as
winners in the competition. Honorable mention
winners received certificates of merit.
Now is the time to begin encouraging volunteers in
your community by informing them about the annual
Governor's Home Town Awards competition and encouraging them to enter next year's contest. It's an excellent way to tell the volunteers in your city, village or
town just how important their efforts are to the overall
quality of life you all enjoy. In my dealings with business people, I know that quality of life issues are important to businesses looking to establish new locations or
expand existing facilities. Volunteers, exhibiting their
pride by beautifying their communities, helping senior
citizens and youths, building and equipping parks, organizing community theatre and other cultural events,
and looking out for each other, leave a lasting impression on business leaders — they're proud of their community and they'll be good neighbors.
DCCA staff is happy to answer any questions you
may have about the annual Governor's Home Town
Awards program. Contact Bob Glatz in DCCA's Office
of Local Government Management Services at 1-217-
785-6139 for further information.
A list of the 1991 winners is attached.
1991 GOVERNOR'S HOME TOWN AWARDS
Category I (population up to 1, 499)
1st Place LaHarpe/Hancock County
2nd Place Loda/Iroquois County
3rd Place Findlay/Shelby County
Hon. Mention Yates City/Knox County
Economic Dev. Ellisville/Fulton County
Youth Award Granville/Putnam County
Senior Award Golden/Adams County
Category II (population 1, 500 to 3, 999)
1st Place Metamora/Woodford County
2nd Place Mt. Carroll/Carroll County
3rd Place Girard/Macoupin County
Hon. Mentions Amboy/Lee County
----------Casey/Clark County
----------Peotone/Will County
Economic Dev. Fairbury/Livingston County
Youth Award Yorkville/Kendall County
Senior Award Arthur/Douglas-Moultrie Counties
Category III (population 4, 000 to 8, 999)
1st Place Lemont/Cook County
2nd Place Morrison/Whiteside County
3rd Place Paris/Edgar County
Hon. Mentions Wilmington/Will County
----------Marseilles/LaSalle County
Youth Award Fox Lake/Lake County
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July 1991 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 21
Hon. Mention Eldorado/Saline County
Senior Award Paris/Edgar County
Hon. Mention Clinton/DeWitt County
Category IV (population 9, 000 to 18, 999)
1st Place Pontiac/Livingston County
2nd Place Bourbonnais/Kankakee County
3rd Place Palos Hills/Cook County
Hon. Mention Barrington/Cook County
Economic Dev. Pontiac/Livingston County
Youth Award Wood Dale/DuPage County
Hon. Mention Palos Hills/Cook County
Senior Award Morton/Tazewell County
Category V (population 19, 000 to 34, 999)
1st Place North Chicago/Lake County
2nd Place Carbondale/Jackson County
3rd Place Crystal Lake/McHenry County
Hon. Mention North Chicago/Lake County
Youth Award Jacksonville/Morgan County
Hon. Mention Elk Grove Village/Cook County
Senior Award Rolling Meadows/Cook County
Category VI (population 35, 000 to 46, 999)
1st Place Quincy/Adams County
2nd Place Buffalo Grove/Cook-Lake Counties
3rd Place Park Ridge/Cook County
Hon. Mentions Park Ridge/Cook County
Loves Park/Winnebago County
Rock Island/Rock Island County
Youth Award Tinley Park/Cook County
Senior Award Quincy/Adams County
Hon. Mention Glenview/Cook County
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Category VII (population 47, 000 to 98, 999)
1st Place Joliet/Will County
2nd Place Joliet/Will County
3rd Place Bloomington/McLean County
Hon. Mention Champaign/Champaign County
Champaign/Champaign County
Economic Dev. McLean County
Youth Award Champaign-Urbana/Champaign County
Hon. Mention Orland Township/Cook County
Senior Award Champaign-Urbana/Champaign County
Hon. Mention Dekalb County
Category VIII (population 99, 000 and above)
1st Place Rockford/Winnebago County
2nd Place South/Southwest Cook County
3rd Place Peoria/Peoria County
Hon. Mentions Quad Cities/Rock Island County
Chicago/Cook County
Economic Dev. Springfield/Sangamon County
Youth Award Aurora Township/Kane County
Senior Award Chicago/Cook County •
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Page 22 / Illinois Municipal Review / July 1991