West Deerfield Township Democrats Announce Award In Memory Of Wener

DEERFIELD, IL — In an effort to acknowledge her "spirit of public service," the West Deerfield Township Democrat Organization has announced it has created the Maureen Wener Public Service Award. Wener, who was a member of the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education, died last year after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while bicycling in Highland Park.

Wener had also served as treasurer of the WDTO, president of Deerfield Public Library, and was the secretary of the D109 school board at the time of her death last June.

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"Maureen Wener had deep roots in our community, attending Cadwell School as a primary student," WDTO said in a news release. "Her family moved away, but, as an adult, Maureen returned to Deerfield to become an exemplar of an active and caring citizen."

The criteria for the new award, which will be presented at a ceremony between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sept. 29, at the Deerfield Public Library, is as follows:

• The award is non-partisan.
• Recipient must be a resident of, or work in, West Deerfield Township.
• Nominated individuals must exemplify Maureen’s commitment to make our community a better place to live. Actions may include grassroots activism, public service, and/or commitment to democratic principles.
• A committee appointed by the Executive Board of the West Deerfield Township Democratic Organization will select the winner.
• Nominations can come from any resident, organization, or board within the Township. Individuals may nominate someone else or themselves.
• The nomination should include the following information — date of nomination; nominator name; relationship to nominee and contact information (address / phone / email); nominee name and contact information (address/phone/email); description of nominee's grassroots activism; commitment to democratic principles/public service and/or humanitarian principles; if possible, the nominator should also describe the results of the nominee's actions; letters of support from other individuals and/or organizations are welcome.

Nominations must be emailed to info@WestDeerfieldDems.com no later than Aug. 16. The recipient of the award will be announced by Sept. 9.

For more information, contact info@WestDeerfieldDems.com.

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