Glen Ellyn - The Glen Ellyn Chamber is proud to announce the 58th Annual Glen Ellyn Community Awards will be returning LIVE and in-person to recognize all the achievements from local businesses, residents, and our civic heroes after such a hard 2021.All are encouraged to attend the awards dinner on Tuesday, March 1 at 5:00 p.m. located at the Abbington Distinctive Banquets in Glen Ellyn. This year as the date falls on “Fat Tuesday”, the theme is a Mardi Gras celebration with live music, a three-course dinner, festive décor, and a chance to hear live all the stories of what makes these individuals great.“We really do live in an amazing community filled with residents who truly want to help their neighbor and businesses that we cherish who have had such a hard couple of years with the COVID pandemic”, says Dawn Smith, Executive Director of the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce. “Additionally, we do not want to take for granted all the teachers, police, fire, and civic heroes that are an integral fabric of our community,” Smith added.The Glen Ellyn Community Awards is a chance for the community to say thank you to all the generous volunteers, those in public service, and amazing local businesses. Over 2,000 nominations have been submitted for this year's Glen Ellyn Community Awards. Sixteen awards make up the program which are divided between 3 categories: Service, Civic & Business.The Service Category (4):• The Stuart S. Stone, Ciitzen of the Year, was renamed after the 2016 award recipient Stuart S. Stone, in his honor. This award is given each year to a Glen Ellyn resident who is recognized for representing the spirit of volunteer service to the community and who has made a continuing positive impact on the quality of life in Glen Ellyn. This is a high honor and will be announced the evening of the Awards Ceremony.• Hometown Hero of the Year Award is given to an individual who has gone above and beyond to promote a positive impact on the whole of Glen Ellyn, and who may not be a resident of Glen Ellyn. This award is announced the evening of the Awards Ceremony.• The Paul Herwaldt, Senior Citizen of the Year Award is given to a senior citizen who volunteers and is active in the community. This year the award recipient goes to: Michael Formento• Youth of the Year is awarded to a role model amongst students. This year the award recipient is: Anastasia Jimenez, Glenbard West High School SeniorGlen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce, 810 N Main St, Glen Ellyn IL 60137Tel: 630.469.0907, Fax: 630.469.0426 www.GlenEllynChamber.comThe Civic Category (8) is determined by a committee from each of its own department heads with the suggestion from the nominees of the community. The Glen Ellyn Community Awards is a platform for each organization to hold its own awards ceremony and recognize one individual each year who has done an outstanding service. Additional bios will be available after the awards ceremony of each recipient.
The awards and deserving recipients are:• D41 Educator of the Year: Lynn Rumel, Ben Franklin 2nd Grade Teacher• D87 Educator of the Year: Linete Chaloka, Glenbard South High School English Department Chair and Teacher and Assistant Activity Director• D89 Educator of the Year: Corey Toppel, Glen Crest Middle School Athletic Director and the P.E./ Exploratory Team Leader
Firefighter of the Year: Patrick Ryan
Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Library Employee of the Year: Sophie Kenney, Youth Department Assistant Director
Park District Volunteer of the Year: Michael Semprevivo
Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Police Officer of the Year: Officer Troy Bendoraitis
Village Employee of the Year: Rich Daubert, Engineer
The Business Category (4) is revealed the night of the awards ceremony based upon nominations from the community for Non-Profit, Restaurant, Retail and Service Industry of the year.
Non-Profit of the Year Top Five Nominees: Bridge Communities, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, DuPage Pads, Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry
Restaurant of the Year Top Five Nominees: A Toda Madre, Blackberry Market, Glen Prairie, fire + wine, Maize + Mash
Retail of the Year Top Five Nominees: Good Roots, Marcel's Culinary Experience, M and Em's, Olive 'n Vinnie's, Veiled by ChaCha
Service Industry Business of the Year Top Six Nominees (tie in this category): Busy Bee Barber Shop, Five Corners Cleaners, Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, Marvelous Minds, Paul's Shoe Service, RISE Fitness
