Since 1993, the City of Naperville has presented the Youth Service Awards to recognize and honor outstanding volunteer efforts by local Naperville area students and to encourage all youth to get involved in community service.
Recently, KidsMatter, along with Mayor Chirico and the City Council, continued the tradition to honor young people who connect with opportunities that give them a sense of purpose, provide them with valuable hands-on-experiences, and ignite the volunteer spirit that has helped establish Naperville to be the thriving community it is today, organizers said.
Nominations were received for fourteen teens who have continued to serve during the pandemic. The following is a list of this year’s inspiring recipients and the organizations that nominated them for the award.
The 2021 program was sponsored by Naperville Bank & Trust. Other support was given from The Education Center, Belgio’s, Lou Malnati’s, Culvers and Small Cakes.
2021 Honorees
- Sean Brennan – Naperville Park District
- Edward Chen – Relief Cloud Tutors
- Gabriela Dziekan – Little Friends
- Garrett Fisher – DuPage Pads
- Jada-Marie Griggs – Loaves & Fishes
- Autumn McCain – Little Friends
- Sabrina Mei – The Morton Arboretum
- Ryan Mohammadian – Naper Settlement
- Jenna Smiley – 360 Youth Services
- Adi Srinivasan – Alive Center
- Lauren Verthein – KidsMatter
- Ethan Wang – KidsMatter
- Sichen Camille Wu – Naperville Public Library
- Olivia Zabel – 360 Youth Services
KidsMatter will co-host 2022 Community Job Fair Set for January 8
The 2022 Community Job Fair is set from 10AM to 1PM Sat., Jan. 8, 2022, co-hosted by the Naperville Park District and KidsMatter. The Job Fair will feature openings at the Naperville Park District and area businesses.
The Job Fair will be held at Fort Hill Activity Center in the gymnasium, first floor, located at 20 Fort Hill Drive. Admission is a free of charge and is intended to attract job seekers from high school students (ages 15 and up) to senior adults.
“We hope that college students who are home on winter break will take advantage of this opportunity to begin seeking summer employment and internships,” explained Nina Menis, CEO and Executive Director of KidsMatter. “We plan to offer mock interviews, resume building and other workforce preparation for both high school and college students.”
The 2022 Job Fair also will include opportunities for retirees and other adults seeking part-time work. For example, park maintenance and golf course maintenance positions at the Naperville Park District can be ideal for retirees who are looking for a flexible schedule. Additionally, positions at Fort Hill Activity Center and in recreation programs often have flexible daytime schedules.
Area businesses interested in participating may contact Sherilyn Hebel at sherilyn@kidsmatter2us.org for more information.
