SPRINGFIELD – The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Commission) will present 21 communities with 2019 Governor’s Hometown Awards during a special reception at the Governor’s Mansion on November 14, 2019, at 1 p.m. The Governor’s Hometown Awards program gives formal recognition to those who contributed to their community’s quality of life through projects that had strong volunteer support, met a need, and made a definitive impact.
“Once again, we are pleased to be able to honor so many communities that utilize volunteers,” said Commission Executive Director Scott McFarland. “Throughout the judging process of the Governor’s Hometown Awards, we clearly saw the spirit of volunteers and community service in many places in Illinois. It’s our honor to be able to bring attention to so many worthy initiatives.”
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The Commission deemed four of the 21 projects Cup Finalists, which are the best projects in each of the four population divisions of the program. These four community projects include:
• Elk Grove Village - “Elk Grove Village Cares”
• Harrisburg - “Summer Food Service Program”
• Williamsfield - “Playground Barn-Raising Project”
• Will County - “MicroPantries: Take What You Need, Leave What You Can”
The Commission will present these projects to a new panel of judges. The judges will choose one project as the overall Governor’s Cup Winner, which will be announced at the event on November 14, 2019.
Project winners and honorable mentions determined in the preliminary round include:
• Aurora - “National Night Out 2018”
• Carlyle - “Go Green”
• Channahon - “Living Learning Garden”
• Colfax - “Colfax Restoration Project”
• East St. Louis - “Parents United for Change-School Transportation Safety”
• Glendale Heights - “Glendale Heights Mayor's Center for Senior Citizens Volunteer Initiative Program”
• Joliet - “Old Joliet Prison Tourism & Restoration Initiative”
• Lake Barrington - “Veterans of Lake Barrington Shores BraveHearts Program”
• Maryville - “Maryville Farmers Market” (honorable mention)
• Mascoutah - “Helping Mascoutah Weekend Meals Program” (honorable mention)
• Mattoon - “Fit-2-Serve: Community Bridges”
• Park Forest - “Veterans Closet & Resource Center”
• Roselle - “Flags for Roselle”
• Schaumburg - “Monarch Butterfly Initiative”
• St. Clair County - “Summer of STEM”
• Urbana - “The Urbana Park District Advisory Committee” (honorable mention)
• Vermilion County - “Step Up Vermilion County” (honorable mention)
All projects honored will receive a plaque and a road sign honoring these achievements.
As part of the Commission’s efforts to recognize and honor volunteers, nomination forms for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards are now available. This program honors individual volunteers for their efforts in the calendar year 2019. The nomination forms and program guidelines are available now at www.serve.illinois.gov.
The Serve Illinois Commission is a 40-member (24 voting and 16 non-voting), bipartisan board appointed by the Governor and administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Its mission is to improve Illinois communities by enhancing volunteerism and instilling an ethic of service throughout the State.
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