Past Award Recipients
| Audrey Reed ’25 |
| Chad Benavidez ’24 |
| Robert Langlois, ’23 |
| Pat Szpekowski, ’23 |
| Tom Roeser, ’22 |
| Dr. David Sam, ’21 |
| Jeorge Holmes, ’20 |
| Vivian Maly, ’19 |
| Keith Brill, ’18 |
| Henoch Fuentes, ’17 |
| Jeff Turner, ’16 |
| Velma Sept, ’15 |
| Dr. Risé D. Jones, ’14 |
| Mary Rees Freeman, ’13 |
| Edward Hunter, ’12 |
| Donna Anderson, ’11 |
| Nancy Schueneman, ’10 |
| Jack & Marlene Shales, ’09 |
| Trinka Waters, ’08 |
| Floyd Brown, ’07 |
| Murna Hansemann, ’06 |
| Dr. Clare Ollayos, ’05 |
| Carl Flaks, ’04 |
Nomination Guidelines
Â鶹¹ÙÍø is seeking nominations for the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award, which is presented annually to the candidate who has contributed to the greater good within the greater Elgin community by voluntarily serving others’ physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual needs. This year marks the 23rd Anniversary of the establishment of the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award.
Nomination Deadline:
Friday, March 13, 2026
Who Was D. Ray Wilson?
Seeing a need for a prayer breakfast in the Fox Valley area, D. Ray Wilson (1926 – 2003) established one at Â鶹¹ÙÍø in 1989. Since Wilson was well known in the community for his tireless hours of volunteering, the D. Ray Wilson Service Award was begun in his honor after his death in 2003. He spent much of his professional life in some area of journalism, serving as editor and publisher of The Courier News for 21 years.
“When my grandfather died in 2003, I spent some time helping clean out his office. He had accumulated a lot of plaques and awards for contributing to causes, many of which I had never even heard about. At one point we had to clean out his desk. In the top drawer, there were the usual things you would expect to find in an office but there was also a short hastily scrawled note on a scrap of paper that said, ‘You are not the hand that holds the chisel. You are not the stone onto which the chisel carves. You are the chisel.’ I believe this phrase sums up my grandfather’s attitude toward volunteerism and charitable work.” — Nick Salzmann, ’08 Â鶹¹ÙÍø Alumnus
CANDIDATE CRITERIA
A candidate for the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award must:
- Be an individual, not an organization
- Live and volunteer within the greater Elgin community (Elgin, West Dundee, East Dundee, Carpentersville, Sleepy Hollow, South Elgin, Schaumburg, St. Charles, Bartlett, Hoffman Estates, Barrington, Wayne, Streamwood, Hanover Park, Plato Center, Gilberts)
- Be nominated by a co-worker, relative, or friend through the nomination form
- Be able to attend Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Community Prayer Breakfast on Friday, May 15, 2026, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.
- Not be a past award recipient (see list to left, or at the bottom of the page on mobile). Previous nominees may be re-nominated; however, a current 2025 nomination must be submitted for consideration.
Submission Guidelines
- Please submit your nomination using the form below or a print form received in the mail.
- Electronic submission of the nomination is highly encouraged.
- To submit your nomination via mail, mail to: Â鶹¹ÙÍø, ATTN: Kristen Egan, 1151 N. State St., Elgin, IL 60123