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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Naperville Jaycees present 2014 Distinguished Service Awards at CityGate Grille

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Above / The 2014 Naperville Jaycees Distinguished Service Awards Committee

The Naperville Jaycees held its 36th Annual Distinguished Service Awards recognition tonight at CityGate Grille in CityGate Centre, located on Naperville northwest corridor.

The annual tribute every spring recognizes local individuals for their community spirit and dedication to Naperville.

This year’s event was organized by a committee of Jaycees led by Chair Rosemarie Breske Garvey; Vice-Chairs Travis Ksiazek and Danielle Tufano; and Greg Siegel, Brian Scott, Travis Ksiazek, Shoshana Frank, Rick Eertmoed, Ginny Kula and Mike Healy. Healy also is the current President of the Naperville Jaycees.

Tufano served as emcee for the evening.

Student Volunteer / Taylor Majher presented by Greg Siegel

Jaycees-DSA-2014_0282Taylor Majher is a senior at Metea Valley High School where she is captain of the women’s cross country and track teams. She plans to continue her running career next year at the University of Iowa while majoring in Human Physiology and minoring in Spanish in preparation for entering Physician’s Assistant graduate school.

Taylor was one of the founders of Do More Metea Valley.

After the loss of a fellow student last year, Taylor and some friends saw the way this tragedy brought the school together. Do More Metea Valley works to provide that sense of unity any time of the year with an annual Unity for Community football game, a Mix-it-up Lunch and various class competitions. Taylor thanks her parents, brother and sister for always supporting her and pushing her to always do her best and use the power of speech and action to make her community a better place.

“I thank my parents (who always advised) never to give up on anything I start,” said Taylor as she accepted her DSA.

And she ended with a little school spirit, “Go, Go Mustangs!”

Educator / Jim Schmid presented by Brian Scott

jim-schmidAfter a celebrated 38-year career in education, Jim Schmid will be retiring this spring. He has had the distinction of serving as principal for two of the three District 204 high schools. He served as principal at Waubonsie Valley for four years until his departure to become the founding principal of Metea Valley. He served as the president of the Illinois Principals Association in 2011-2012 and was named Outstanding Principal of the Year in 2013 by the Illinois PTA.

Schmid has truly dedicated his career to the betterment of secondary and higher education in Illinois. Schmid is an active member of several professional organizations and has served as president of the Aurora Police Foundation Board of Directors, and as a member of the Illinois Baseball Coaches Board of Directors and the Kiwanis Club Board of Directors, among others. He has achieved prominence in his field, receiving recognitions including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Aurora University in 2004 and the Herman Graves Award from the Illinois Principals Association in 2013.

As he accepted his DSA, Schmid lauded the service-minded Jaycees as a “great example for what you do for nothing.”

Young Professional / Dr. Cathy Subber presented by Rosemary Breske Garvey

Dr. Cathy Subber is a dynamic business owner of three unique companies: Advanced Health of Naperville, Café ‘n’ Play, and the Naperville Moms Network.

cathy-subber-&-sonsDedicated to her patients with a love for bringing people together, Dr. Cathy has given selflessly of her time, talent and treasure within the Naperville community, and has exemplified what “distinguished service” really means. Although she counts her time as the 2013 Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman as one of her biggest accomplishments, Dr. Cathy is the very proud mother of two sons, Nicholas and Christopher, who count themselves as her biggest fans.

When she accepted her DSA, Subber thanked her two sons for “making my life happy.”

Public Employee / Mark Ksiazek presented by Travis Ksiazek

Jaycees-DSA-2014_0337Mark Ksiazek has been a Naperville Police Officer for 25 years. He is currently a Patrol Sergeant assigned to B Company Day Shift.

During his career, he has held the positions of Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Field Evidence Technician, General Assignment Detective, Juvenile Detective, Crime Prevention Sergeant, School Resource Officer Sergeant and Youth and Community Service Sergeant. Mark has been a member of the Domestic Violence Prevention Team, Elderly Services Team, Fastrack Search Team, Reading Buddy Program, Youth Jury Coordinator, Power of Choice Drug Prevention Committee member and coordinator of the Naperville Community Radio Watch Group.

He is the past President of the Brook Crossings Estates Homeowners Association and currently a Eucharist Minister for St. Raphael’s Church. Mark has been married to Carol for 27 years with three children: Travis, Courtney and Brooke. He enjoys football, soccer and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Community Leader / Mike Reilly presented by Shoshana Frank

mike-reilly-&-shoshanaMike Reilly is retired from a 35-year career in the insurance and financial services industry. Mike and his wife, Lynda Reilly, are originally from Connecticut and settled in Naperville in 1991. Their two married daughters Meg Smith and Katie Reilly have three students at May Watts Elementary and one student at Metea Valley High School.

Mike stays actively involved in our community. He was elected as a Naperville Park district commissioner in 2009 and reelected in 2013. He served as president of the board in 2009, 2010 & 2011 and currently serves as vice-president. He is also an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman for Wheatland Township precinct 003. He has been a member of the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation since 1993 and currently serves as vice president. He has been a board member of the White Eagle Club Property Owners Association since 1998, serving as president from 2000 to 2013. He is a member of the West Suburban Irish, South Homeowners Of Wheatland (SHOW), St. Thomas the Apostle Church, and the Rotary Club of Naperville / Downtown.

He enjoys volunteering at events such as Last Fling, Ribfest, the Nicarico Run For Reading and more.

Not-for-Profit Leader / Pat Bowler presented by Rick Eertmoed

pat-&-rick-webPat Bowler received the DSA on behalf of Naperville Responds for Our Veterans, founded in 2009. Their Mission Statement is “The organization assists veterans in need by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and coordinates the process of repairing, building and donating homes.”

They have repaired homes for veterans from World War II to those currently returning from active duty. Pat Bowler has spearheaded the efforts of NRFOV since its inception. An active husband, father, grandfather, businessman and volunteer outside of NRFOV, Pat says his dedication to worthwhile causes is simply a reflection of the spirit of volunteerism which is prevalent in the Naperville community.

Pat and his wife, Pam, have raised four grown children in Naperville and are the proud grandparents to five grandchildren.

Pat accepted his DSA on behalf of his son Kevin who currently serves actively in the U.S. Marines.

Business / Matt & Laura Weber, Clark’s Car Care presented by Ginny Kula

clark's-car-webMatt Weber and Laura Weber opened Clark’s Car Care automotive service in November 2001. The name “Clark’s” was inspired by Clark Griswold, the fun-loving dad from National Lampoon’s Vacation movie. Clark’s Car Care is a full-service auto repair and maintenance facility specializing in Domestic and Japanese imports.

The Weber’s truly believe the key to their business is forming relationships and the success they have achieved has allowed them to give back to the community. They are active members of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and donate their time to many local causes. In 2012, Clark’s Car Care earned the Naperville Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Overall Award.

2014 Charles “Chuck” Bueche Lifetime Achievement Award / Dr. Kathy Birkett presented by Mike Healy

Jaycees-DSA-2014_0404Dr. Kathy Birkett began serving as Superintendent of Schools for Indian Prairie School District 204 in July 2009.

She currently oversees the third largest school district in the state of Illinois, with 33 schools serving 29,000 students.

She has dedicated her career to District 204, beginning as a teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School in 1979. Over the next three decades, she moved up through the district, serving as an Assistant Principal, Steck Elementary Principal, Neuqua Valley High School Principal and Assistant/ Deputy Superintendent.

Dr. Birkett successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. She has a Master’s Degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She is a St. Charles High School graduate and outstanding alumna.

She is active in the community, currently serving as a member of Naperville Rotary and is on the Executive Committee/Board of Directors of Metropolitan Chicago YMCA. She is also a board member of Large Unit School District Association, Naperville Heritage Society and Naperville Development Partnership. She previously served ten years on the Edward Hospital Board of Directors.

Dr. Birkett is one of 28 superintendents selected from across the nation to serve on the League of Innovative Schools as part of the Digital Promise Initiative of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C. As part of this cutting edge technology leadership group, Dr. Birkett has implemented “Bring Your Own Technology” in District 204 classrooms. She is also one of 100 superintendents selected nationally to participate in the Education Research & Development Institute, looking at the latest innovative educational programs and products.

During Dr. Birkett’s tenure as superintendent, District 204 has seen the highest ACT scores achieved by students; made progress in closing achievement gaps with minority students; placed the district on solid financial footings, even in light of cuts in state educational funding; and realized strong community approval ratings in the area of communications.

Doing her humble best, as did most of the recipients of the evening, Dr. Birkett couldn’t resist noticing the representation from School District 204 among the DSA recipients, “Did Indian Prairie represent or what?”

She also expressed her love for her job as she recounted 35 years of “skipping out the door to work.”

Going Forward

The Naperville Jaycees is a nonprofit service organization with more than 200 young people dedicated to personal development through community service. The group organizes and staffs fundraisers and community events, such as Last Fling, Mardi Gras, Easter Egg Hunt and Lobster Day. In the past ten years, nonprofit organizations in the community and throughout DuPage County have received more than two million dollars of the proceeds from Naperville Jaycees fundraisers. For more Information or to join the Naperville Jaycees, visit www.naperjaycees.org.

RELATED PN POSTS: Search Naperville Jaycees / Last Fling Archive

 

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