Kishwaukee United Way's Annual Meeting
Leo Olson award winners
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The Leo Olson Award was established in 1989 to honor Leo Olson for his many contributions to, what was then, the DeKalb United Way. Leo’s commitment to the organization started in the early 70’s when he was recruited to co-chair our annual campaign. Following that, he served as Campaign Chair and President, and remained actively involved in local United Way efforts until his death in 1989. The award named for Leo recognizes each new nominee’s commitment to United Way and an unflagging spirit of volunteerism and service.
The first honoree is a corporation who has been a friend to Kishwaukee United Way for a number of years, and was instrumental in helping us transition two organizations – the DeKalb United Way and the Sycamore United Fund into a newly branded organization – the Kishwaukee United Way. To quote from their organizational philosophy, they seek to "create partnership(s) through knowledge, sharing and trust." These tenets are the cornerstone of a successful business that has been involved and invested in their local community for over 25 years.They have a strong, innovative, and creative team who serve DeKalb County businesses, as well as markets beyond our geographical boundaries. Their philosophy of giving back has been evidenced through their professional support and staff involvement on the committee level at United Way, and as 'experts' presenting at board workshops and at strategic planning sessions. We have benefitted tremendously by their design and launch of our very first website in 2004, and are grateful for their continued collaboration, helping us to stay on brand and make the most of electronic communications in this technological age. They continue to partner with us in the creation and production of materials for campaigns and special events. Their company has also been a past sponsor of our Taste of the Vine event.
On behalf of Kishwaukee United Way I want to thank them for their selfless dedication of time, commitment and resources which help to make our community as strong as the ideals that they hold central to their business.
It is my pleasure to present the first 2009 Leo Olson Award to MorningStar Media Group.
I have worked with the second recipient of the Leo Olson Award almost as long as I have been involved with the organization. This person has served in a variety of roles, both formally and informally. She has made contributions in many areas, including years of service as a Taste of the Vine committee member, Campaign Chair, President and our Day of Caring Chairperson. Her work has not been limited to the support and perpetuation of our organization, as she has also made professional contributions to the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, the DeKalb Leadership Academy and the KEYS initiative, to name a few. She has also volunteered her time, talent and attention-to-detail for a number of non-for-profit groups in our community. Most notable in her service to Kishwaukee United Way, both past and present, is the consistent level of professionalism and willingness to serve others evident in her approach to any task. Her solid perspective and 'roll up her sleeves' attitude has benefitted our organization and the agencies with which we work. Beyond her formal Board affiliation, she continues to add value to our organization in a number of ways. She is the type of person who expects the best of herself, sees the best in others, and is loyal to the causes she believes in. She possesses dedication, perseverance, integrity and a generous heart. She embodies the principles upon which this award was founded by practicing servant leadership with a balance of humility and the very highest of standards.
Help me recognize a true friend to Kishwaukee United Way – Linda Linden -- as our second recipient of the 2009 Leo Olson Award.
United Way Hosts 2009 Annual Meeting & Award Breakfast on Thursday, March 12, 2009
At the Annual Meeting of the Kishwaukee United Way March 12th, 2009, Board members, community partners and company representatives gathered for an update on the organization’s progress this past year. Executive Director Dawn Littlefield reported on the past year’s events and initiatives, including detailing the groups’ Standards of Excellence Self-Assessment, an online survey participants took in August of 2008 which has been the basis of their local strategic planning efforts. There were also updates on marketing efforts and campaign events. The meeting, held at the Roberts Auditorium at Kishwaukee Hospital, also included recognition of outgoing Board member Alice Freier, outgoing Campaign Chair Heather Fritsch and President Bob Schroeder. They were thanked for their hard work and dedication to community campaign efforts and to the work of Kishwaukee United Way in our community.
The morning’s agenda included the election of a new slate of officers: Matt Duffy as incoming President, Heather Fritsch (The Law Office of Heather M. Fritsch) as Vice President, Nate Kloster as Treasurer, and Chris Lamb (Ideal Industries) as Campaign Chair.
Special recognition came in the form two award categories. The first was the second annual Spirit of Caring Awards, recognizing human service agency staff and community volunteers for their dedication and service. There were six award nominees in total: Patrick Sobol – for his volunteer work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Karen Rosier – for her volunteer work at Safe Passage; Mae Lee – for her service to The Blessing Well, a food pantry and clothing closet, the Clinical Staff of Ben Gordon Center for their February 14 response to the NIU tragedy, and Karen Hamingson – for her work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate serving abused and neglected children in DeKalb County. The named winner was Karen Hamingson, not only for her years of service with CASA, but for a wide range of other service and volunteer hours for area non-profits.
The second award, the prestigious Leo Olson Award, was established in 1989 to honor Board member Leo Olson for his many contributions to what was then the DeKalb United Way. The award named for him recognizes commitment to United Way and an unflagging spirit of volunteerism. We were honored to have Leo’s sister-in-law Yvonne Johnson present at the meeting for the award presentations.
The first 2009 honoree was MorningStar Media Group. MorningStar was supportive during our organization merger in 2004 and continues to provide staff support and expertise in electronic communication & design for our organization. Darby Dwyer and Ellie Peterson accepted the award on behalf of MorningStar Media.
The second 2009 recipient was Linda Linden. Linda was recognized for her long-term service to Kishwaukee United Way, volunteering on numerous committees and well as serving as Campaign Chairperson and President. Linda was recognized for embodying the principles upon which the award was founded by practicing servant leadership with a balance of humility and very high standards. For more information about how to get involved with Kishwaukee United Way or how to volunteer in the community, feel free to click through this website.
