We are pleased to highlight the individuals, community partner, and corporation who were honored at the 2005 Chicago Cares Star Awards on September 21. Each has made a significant contribution to our organization and has helped improve our community. We can all gather inspiration from their dedication to service.

A Volunteer Star is someone who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism through a consistent commitment to community service; ability to inspire others; compassion and sensitivity when working with clients; and an eagerness to offer services, skills and ideas for the betterment of a program.

Holly Harle –Volunteer Star

Team Coordinator and long-time dedicated Volunteer for Lakeview Seniors Bingo and Pet Therapy, Project Site Manager for Celebration of Service
Holly has been a dedicated volunteer with Chicago Cares Senior programs for over seven years. As a current Team Coordinator for the Lakeview Seniors Bingo and Pet Therapy program, Holly’s outstanding skills in working with the residents shines through each time she attends. Beyond her involvement with the Chicago Cares program at Lakeview, Holly assists residents with every day needs and providing support and kindness to those who do not have frequent visitors. In addition, Holly has served as a valued and seasoned Project Site Manager for the Celebration of Service at our sites serving seniors living in public housing. Her years as a Team Coordinator for Lakeview, gives her the skills to provide a wonderful experience for volunteers as she helps them engage and serve the seniors at the project. These characteristics, as well as many more, mark Holly as a true Star.

Scott Heinzman –Volunteer Star

Current Team Coordinator for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as Back-up Team Coordinator for many other Environmental programs, former Project Site Manager for Serve-a-thon and Celebration of Service Roadie.

Scott came to Chicago Cares in 2000, and since that time, he has been a dedicated volunteer for Environmental and Hunger programs, as well as for Serve-a-thon and Celebration of Service. Scott’s hard work, reliability, attention to detail, and willingness to serve make him stand out as a Star. He has volunteered at or led nearly 100 projects and has completed over 300 hours of service in his five and a half years as a Chicago Cares volunteer. That, in itself, is incredible. Scott can always be relied on to step up and assist with any environmental or hunger program and provides great insight. His dedication to Chicago Cares programs is amazing.

Brigid Rafferty –Volunteer Star

Long-time dedicated Volunteer and Back-up Team Coordinator for Lakeview Pantry West/Lincoln-Belmont Pantry, Team Coordinator for ESL Coaching at Erie House Brigid Rafferty exemplifies the true spirit of giving. Brigid has spent her nine years as a Chicago Cares volunteer dedicating her time and energy to a variety of programs across several issue areas, especially Hunger and Adult Education. In recent years, she has extended her commitment to serving at these programs by becoming a Team Coordinator. At several programs, Brigid uses her Spanish skills to reach out to those she is serving and brings consistency by serving regularly. Her presence is always felt at a project as she has a way of making everyone around her feel comfortable and is able to help both program participants and fellow volunteers get the most out of each experience.

A Leader Star not only displays the characteristics of a Volunteer Star, but does so in a leadership capacity by mentoring others, setting an excellent example of Star qualities and showing all of us the path to successful, meaningful volunteerism.

Kye-Anne Wilborn –Leader Star

Primary Project Site Manager for Serve-a-thon, Project Site Manager for Celebration of Service Kye-Anne is a self-proclaimed "cheerleader" for Chicago Cares as a Primary Project Site Manager for Serve-a-thon and Project Site Manager for Celebration of Service. She has been an energetic, dedicated, motivated, and outstanding leader for both events for 11 years. Kye-Anne handles any situation with grace and is a master at making sure volunteers get the work done and have fun while doing it. Kye-Anne shines as a leader at every Chicago Cares event she volunteers at.

Chicago Cares is honored to, once again, present a Jefferson Award for Public Service Certificate of Excellence. This award is given on a local level, but with the same spirit of civic engagement that is recognized in the national and media presentations of the award. It celebrates an ordinary individual who makes extraordinary contributions through public or community service. As one of the local organizations presenting this award, Chicago Cares is thrilled to recognize an unsung hero in the great tradition of other, more famous, Jefferson Award winners – Bill Gates, Rudolph Giuliani, Oprah Winfrey and Marian Wright Edelman, to name just a few.

Greg Himebaugh –Jefferson Award for Public Service Certificate of Excellence

Team Coordinator for Discovery with Henderson and former Team Coordinator for Discovery with Fulton,Member, Annual Fund Committee; Former Project Site Manager for Celebration of Service, Roadie for COS/SAT

Greg is a true Chicago Cares treasure. He has committed countless hours to our Discovery program over the past 9 years. Greg has served as a Team Coordinator for the Discovery program since it was implemented at McCormick Elementary School in the Little Village neighborhood seven years ago. His enthusiasm and dedication made McCormick a corner stone of the Discovery program with fantastic attendance and community support. After leading the Discovery program at McCormick for many years, Greg chose to become a Team Coordinator for the Discovery with Henderson program. Through his leadership, Discovery at Henderson thrived, with increased volunteer and student participation. In fact, the Discovery volunteers at Henderson will be able to serve an additional grade level this coming school year. Greg has attracted and stewarded a strong group of volunteer leaders and leaves the Discovery program having empowered those he mentored to continue in his path. We can't thank him enough! Greg is further committed to Chicago Cares and the community, serving on the Annual Fund Committee, and as a roadie for the VIP areas at Celebration of Service and Serve-a-thon. Greg lives the ethic of volunteerism each day and we are honored that he is so dedicated to Chicago Cares, our community partners, and those we serve.

Carole Robertson Center for Learning – Community Partner Star

Chicago Cares and its volunteers have had the pleasure of working with Carole Robertson since the center was selected as a partner site for the 11th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon. After hosting more than 100 Serve-a-thon volunteers in June 2004, Carole Robertson went on to become our project site for The Home Depot's Week of Service project in September 2004, exceeding all of our expectations for a community partner and providing amazing flexibility with an ever-changing project for more than 250 volunteers. In January of this year, volunteers for our Celebration of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King completed meaningful projects at two Carole Robertson's locations, and the center continued to shine as Chicago Cares developed an ongoing adult tutoring program, GED Math Skills, in April. This program opened new doors for Chicago Cares in Adult Education and provides much-needed ongoing support for the students. Throughout all experiences, Carole Robertson staff consistently provide for a very rewarding volunteer experience.

SIEMENS – Corporate Partner Star

SIEMENS has been a generous supporter of Chicago Cares since 2003. SIEMENS’ partnership with Chicago Cares has grown significantly in the past year with increases in both their generous financial support and their volunteer support. Their volunteer attendance at the Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon alone increased by 390% in just one year! SIEMENS' employees have dedicated more than 1,000 hours of service to Chicago Cares and our community partners, and they are a major sponsor of both the Chicago Cares Celebration of Service and Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon, donating more than $50,000 to support Chicago Cares. SIEMENS understands the impact of their support and the importance of what we are accomplishing together. Our partnership is helping to make Chicago a better place to live, work and play. We are proud to honor SIEMENS as our 2005 Corporate Partner Star.

Volunteer Spotlight Archive