Believing that many Orland Park residents readily give of themselves to help others, Mayor Dan McLaughlin is seeking nominations for Orland Park Has Heart — Volunteer of the Year awards.
A winner from each of three categories — students, adults and businesses — will be announced at the mayor’s State of the Village address in February. Nominations are due by Nov. 1.
“Orland Park is very lucky to have so many people who generously give their time and services to help make our community what it is,” McLaughlin said in a release.
The new program is the mayor’s initiative to acknowledge those who do selfless acts of service for others in the community, assistant village manager Joe La Margo said.
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Nominees must live in the village or be a business in the village. Anyone in the community can nominate a student younger than 18, an adult and a business that demonstrates through service and generosity that Orland Park has heart.
McLaughlin “is always commenting on the goodness and compassion shown in our village on a daily basis by both residents and local businesses and he feels that those efforts deserve to be recognized,” La Margo said.
A person cannot nominate himself or herself, nor can a business nominate itself. A 100-word essay must be written for each nomination and must include any known accomplishments, memberships, experience and community service in which the nominee has taken part in the village.
The winner will be chosen by a panel of three judges yet to be identified. McLaughlin will not be a judge, according to La Margo.
Applications can be typed or handwritten. A form can be found online by visiting www.orland-park.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/26059.
Essays with a completed nomination form can be mailed to Village of Orland Park Mayor’s Office, 14700 S. Ravinia Avenue, Orland Park, IL 60462, or emailed to [email protected]. For more information, call (708) 403-6399.
Kelly White is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.