2004 Governor's Home Town Awards
Kankakee County - The Garden of Prayer Youth Center
CATEGORY I (Population 0 - 2,600)
Panama/Coal Miners Monument - The community erected a monument to the coalminers who founded the village and suffered great losses in their perilous line of work. (panama coal miners.jpg)
Manito/Memorial Park Family Aquatic Center – More than 100 community members came together to build a new, state-of-the-art aquatic center to replace the old and dilapidated one that had served as a social center for the town. (manito aquatic ctr.jpg)
*Jerome/Operation Great Pumpkin - Volunteers from the Jerome Police Department, local businesses, community leaders and parents joined forces to collect candy, costumes, pumpkin pails and door prizes for the students of Pleasant Hill Elementary School. (jerome pumpkin.jpg)
CATEGORY II (Population 2,601 to 6,300)
Hawthorn Woods/Women’s Club Love Fund Holiday Fit Giving Program - The Women's Club buys gift certificates and collects items to offer as Christmas gifts to local shelters that aid victims of domestic abuse and the homeless throughout the year. (hawthorn woods love fund.jpg)
Putnam County/Putnam County Food Pantry - This pantry, with the help of many in the community, exists to feed low-income families and anyone needing assistance living within the county. In its seventeen years, it has never had to turn anyone away. (putnam co food pantry.jpg)
*Farmington/Farmington American Legion Veterans Memorial Monument - With the community's help, Post 140 raised the funds needed for the granite for a war memorial and gathered more than 2,000 names of area veterans from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, Granada, Panama and the Persian Gulf War. (farmington vets memorial.jpg)
CATEGORY III (Population 6,301 to 16,000)
Washington County/Washington County Nature Preserve - After a former resident and nature lover donated 40 acres to the county to be used for a nature preserve, high school biology and botany students and Eagle Scouts have begun identifying many of the native plant and animal species at the site. (wash co nature pres.jpg)
Wauconda/United Partnership for a Better Community - In an effort to efficiently identify and meet the needs of Wauconda residents, organizations joined together to layout goals, and now meet monthly to plan and organize upcoming events that will improve the community. (wauconda united partner.jpg)
Bartonville/Celebration Senior Services - Organized by volunteers, this group has been great for seniors as sixty plus seniors meet weekly to socialize, eat and learn new life skills. (bartonville sr svcs.jpg)
Hickory Hills/Community Center Senior Meals - A group of volunteers came together to offer free meals to seniors once a month and now serve more than 600 seniors. (hickory hills sr meals.jpg)
Hickory Hills/Haunted City Hall - In an effort to raise funds for a Youth Commission and a Senior Task Force, residents decided to recreate the "Haunted City Hall" and people young and old came out in droves to make it a success. (hickory hills city hall.jpg)
*Bartonville/Youth Alive - This group is a faith-based teen ministry program that offers teens a safe place to "hang out" and have fun every Wednesday evening, keeping teens off the streets and giving their lives some direction. (bartonville youth.jpg)
Category IV- Population 16,001 and 18,000)
Godfrey/Community Cultivators “Discovery Garden” - Group created a local "Discovery Garden" to educate children about where food comes from and the effort that goes into cultivating it. (godfrey discovery garden.jpg)
New Lenox/New Lenox Veterans Memorial - Through various fundraising efforts and support from the community, a monument honoring all area veterans since the War of 1812 was erected on Veteran' Day, 2003. (new lenox vets mem.jpg)
Mt. Vernon/City-Wide Cleanup - Citizens wanted to make their community a safer and cleaner place to live, so they started an annual citywide clean-up day. (mt vernon cleanup.jpg)
*Bond County/Utlaut Health Services Auxiliary - This group committed to raising $500,000 over three years to help Memorial Hospital expand. Through its efforts and the community support, it will reach and possibly surpass its goal this year. (bond co utlaut health.jpg)
Category V - Population between 18,001 and 23,000
Charleston/ Eastern Illinois University Bucket Brigade - Eastern Illinois University' Student Body President organized a community service project that saw more than 300 students come together to paint local residents' homes. (charleston bucket brigade.jpg)
Franklin Park/Kids on Wheels Day - Community volunteers created the annual "Kids on Wheels Day," where members of the community donate bikes and skateboards, promote bike/skateboarding safety, man various booths and a safety obstacle course. (franklin park kids.jpg)
Lisle/Character Counts! Youth Flag Rally - The area's youth created Character Counts! Youth Flag Rally, an event that brings teens of different backgrounds together for a simple cause: a rally and car wash to raise funds for the local American Red Cross. (lisle flag rally.jpg)
Bloomingdale/Senior Day Fair – The Senior Citizen Advisory Council of Bloomingdale created Senior Day Fair to showcase the many services available to seniors. (bloomingdale sr fair.jpg)
Lake Zurich/Lake Zurich Area Veterans Monument - Community held fundraisers to raise enough money to dedicate a memorial to the area's veterans. (lake zurich vets.jpg)
East Peoria/2003 National Softball Association Super World Series - The community hosted the 2003 National Softball Association Super World Series, and dedicated proceeds of the event to support the local youth softball and baseball programs, and scholarships for underprivileged youth. (east peoria natl softball.jpg)
*Bellwood/ Bellwood Youth Job Initiative - Locals created The Bellwood Youth Job Initiative that works with local businesses to find employment opportunities for teens. (bellwood youth job.jpg)
Category VI - Population 23,001 and 37,000
Freeport/Winneshiek Children's Summer Theater Program - Residents created The Winneshiek Children's Summer Theater program to provide children, ages 9 to 13, an opportunity to learn about theater and gain confidence in themselves over a two-week period. (freeport theatre prog.jpg)
Roselle/Miracle Field - Roselle residents raised the needed funds to build a baseball diamond for people with physical or mental disabilities. (roselle miracle field.jpg)
Blue Island/Blue Island American Legion Post 50 Veterans Memorial - Blue Island American Legion Post 50 and other volunteers worked together to create a lasting memorial to Vietnam veterans. (blue island amer leg.jpg)
Westmont/Citizens Volunteer Programs - Six volunteer groups were developed to improve services and communication between the pubic and the Westmont Fire and Police Departments. (westmont volunteers.jpg)
*Rolling Meadows/WINGS Safe Home - A community group called WINGS decided to build a "safe" home that could serve 500 women and children annually, and was able to break ground with the help of many volunteers and fundraising efforts. (rolling meadows wings.jpg)
Category VII - Population 37,001 and 100,000
Palos Township/Senior Advisory Board and Ambassadors - Residents created a Senior Advisory Board that helps the Palos Township Board address issues of importance to the senior citizens, including transportation and health services. (palos township sr advisory.jpg)
Adams County/Adams County Chapter of the American Red Cross - With the help of its volunteers and community support, the Adams County Chapter of the American Red Cross was able to raise almost $2 million to put toward the purchase of a new headquarters that will allow them to efficiently and effectively meet and respond to the region's changing needs. (adams co red cross.jpg)
*Des Plaines/Des Plaines Volunteers in Policing Program - Residents created a Citizens Police Academy to promote interaction between the police and the community and has proven to be invaluable to the Des Plaines Police Department. (des plaines volun.jpg)
Category VIII - Population over 100,000
Kane County/Tri City Health Partnership - Volunteers opened up TCHP in the heart of Kane County, a free health clinic that offers acute and chronic care services and a diabetic clinic to low-income residents who lack health insurance. (kane co tchp.jpg)
Wheeling Township/Mobile Dental Clinic - Residents from Elk Grove Township, Palatine Township, and Wheeling Township joined forces to create a mobile dental clinic to provide dental care and prevention education for those without dental benefits. (wheeling twnshp dental clinic.jpg)
Champaign County/TRIAD/S.A.L.T of Champaign County - A couple of senior citizens joined forces with several policemen to start the TRIAD/S.A.L.T. program, which works to reduce the number of seniors victimized by various scams and other criminal activities, as well as enhance the delivery of law enforcement services to them. (cham co triad_salt.jpg)
Springfield/Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team - The community has rallied around the city to raise money and volunteer time and expertise to revitalize the city in time for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial. (spfld rudat.jpg)
Will and Grundy Counties/Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Will & Grundy Counties - The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties- This group decided to address the needs of "latchkey" kids by creating a mentoring program in which high school and college students are matched up with elementary students once a week to help with homework, play games, and develop friendships. (will grundy co big.jpg)
2004 Governor's Cup Winner
*Kankakee County/The Garden of Prayer Youth Center - This group seeks to address the needs of children and families in crisis by providing counseling programs, emergency housing for homeless youth, structured educational and recreational programs. (kankakee co garden of prayer 2.jpg) (kankakee co garden of prayer 4.jpg)
*Indicates nomination as Governor's Cup Award Finalist