Volunteer Spotlight

“Looking for a way to give back, Ronna Paul started tutoring with Reading Power in 2008. Her volunteer service spans an impressive 1,200 hours, during which she has positively influenced the lives of over 50 students. Beyond her individual time contributions, Ronna embodies the spirit of teamwork within our tutor community. She extends a helping hand to new tutors, readily offering guidance and support.

Ronna's impact reaches beyond the tutor community to the students she serves. Her caring and patient demeanor make her an exceptional tutor who keeps students on task and engaged. Ronna shares, "I absolutely love tutoring for Reading Power. There is nothing like the feeling of helping a child begin to read and, hopefully, watch their love of reading unfold."

“Angie has been supporting Gardeneers' work at Smyth Elementary School since 2018. She has dedicated so much of her time and energy to growing healthy food for her community, and also educating them about how to use the produce with cooking lessons. She volunteers to maintain the garden space, distributes the harvest at free farmstands and around the neighborhood on her bike, and leads cooking workshops. She is a community builder, urban farmer, and educator who has committed herself to creating beautiful and accessible safe spaces for the people around her to thrive in.”

~Nominated by Leah Goldbloom

"Amit is deeply committed to supporting their community and is an IDHS-Serve Illinois Disaster Response Volunteer with the South Side Chicago Resilience Group. In this role, Amit helps secure funding through grants to support vital community projects. According to Amit, “It is incredibly rewarding to see how our efforts bring much-needed resources and hope to individuals and families. Being part of this journey has not only allowed me to give back but also connect and uplift those around me. It’s a blessing indeed to have the chance to make a positive impact in people’s lives every day.""

"Audrey is a dedicated educator with 25 years of teaching experience in the community. Inspired by her grandmother and mother, who instilled in her the values of service and giving back, she decided to volunteer to increase capacity with the Southside Resilience and Recovery Coalition in Englewood as an IDHS-Serve Illinois Disaster Response Volunteer. She is passionate about using her skills and knowledge to serve and is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of those affected by disasters."

"Lakshmi, now 16, has completed several forms of volunteer work for Feed My Starving Children since she was 10 years old. She has also tutored children from grade 6 and above in several subjects ranging from standardized testing to social sciences. She has volunteered in her local library to be a document transcriber and has written cards for hospitalized children. She currently volunteers at Habitat for Humanity designing homes for third-world countries. Overall, her service impact has shown through her 200+ hours of service and dedication towards her community."

~Nominated by Soumya Nair

"As college students at Bradley University Michelle and Brandi started Paws Giving Independence. 15 years later it is still an all-volunteer organization. They train service and facility dogs and place them at no charge to their recipients. In addition to working as a pediatric physical therapist and ER nurse they also manage the nonprofit."

~Nominated by Donna Kosner

"Crystal Flynn retired from U.S.P.S. After working for over 35 years. Upon retirement, she decided to volunteer to help pregnant women and their babies. She is an advocate for Pregnancy Aid South Suburbs and her love and concern to help motivate the women to be great parents and to support PASS as a volunteer brings such great joy! Her goal is to help save lives and be a mentor for the mothers."

~Nominated by Keisha Blake

Jason Powell, is a 41-year-old Marion, Illinois resident who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Jason is the CEO of Bainbridge Enterprises LLC, a consulting firm. He is also the Business Development and Property Manager for Heartland Realty & Rentals. In addition, Mr. Powell is co-owner of Southern Illinois Rejuvenation Center, a new medical spa in the area. In the past, he worked for Peabody Energy as a coal miner, where a terrible coal mining accident ended his career of 8 years.

Sharon volunteers her time to help do whatever she can to improve the end of our patients' lives. She and her LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Esther visit multiple patients and dedicate their time to the patients and their families". Esther Comfort Dog is part of Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry and has received extensive training to be calm and quiet so people can enjoy petting her. Sharon comments that she enjoys visiting patients with Esther Comfort Dog because many of them are happy to see the dog and greet her with a big smile, gentle pets, and sometimes even a kiss. She also has noticed that some of the patients struggle to carry on any type of conversation with her, but when they see Esther their words become clear and understandable and they say sweet things to Esther such as "You're a love bug, I love you and Pretty Girl". Other patients may recall their own dog's name while petting Esther and relay 

"Bradley Ross is the founder of the “B”radley “E”ncourages KINDness (‘B.’ ‘E.’ Kind) non-profit organization. The “B.” “E.” KIND organization proliferates kindness throughout schools and community organizations by encouraging everyone to eliminate bullying, racism, and discrimination—and to focus on love and kindness. Bradley Ross has received grants from Hershey’s, Hasbro Toy Company, and Amazon to support his excellent work.

Bradley Ross is President of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP Youth Council and President of the NAACP State of Illinois’ Youth and College Division. Bradley Ross is the youngest NAACP Image Award recipient, as broadcasted on BET and CBS. In February of 2023, Bradley Ross was invited to share the red carpet with Angela Bassett, Gabielle Union, Dwayne Wade, Attorney Ben Crump, and other Civil Rights Activist. Bradley Ross was acknowledged for his commitment to social and racial justice. Bradley Ross was selected 

"A successful project needs many people to make it happen, but to be successful every project needs a leader – the one that will make sure that all of the pieces of the project fit together, funding is secured and people are attracted to the project because of its importance to the community, business or organization.

The Lake Sara Forever Foundation found that one person in Tom Ryan.

After an illustrious career with Ford Motor Company, Tom Ryan and his wife Pat, retired to Lake Sara 20+ years ago and quickly became integrated into the lake community. They not only became active lake residents but engaged in activities that were underway to improve the lake, not just for the enjoyment of residents and visitors, but to ensure that the lake would endure and offer enjoyment for many years to come.

In the early 2000s, Tom answered the call for concerned residents to work on the water quality of the lake caused by erosion from unprotected shorelines and joined the Erosion Control Committee. The committee worked with the Soil and Water Conservation District and obtained $350,000 in state, federal, and local grant programs to seed a rip rap