If you know a senior whose volunteer efforts go above and beyond, Naperville’s Senior Task Force want to hear from you.
For the fourth consecutive year, the organization is again seeking outstanding volunteers to honor as Seniors of the Year. It’s a way to not only highlight some unsung heroes, but another opportunity to put a spotlight on some of our local service organizations.
Organizer John Gallagher said the task force is particularly looking for people who haven’t been recognized before.
“When I started doing this three years ago, we only had eight applicants and I thought it wasn’t worth it, but we found nuggets in the community, people who work under the radar,” he said. “One lady took it upon herself to visit people dying in hospital if they didn’t have any family to visit them. I wouldn’t have heard that story without this competition.”
Since then the number of nominations has grown each year. The task force is chaired by Kathy McGowan and Robert Williams.
Williams says the idea for the competition came from Marlboro, Massachusetts.
“They have a Senior of the Year contest for a man and a woman who volunteered selflessly without expecting accolades,” he explained. “Many people over 65 in Naperville do volunteer work; often they serve at four, five or six organizations at the same time. It’s incredible how many seniors volunteer for everything from (DuPage) Pads to Loaves and Fishes. They work for the community and are so dedicated it’s unbelievable to me.”
McGowan believes it’s all to do with the Naperville spirit.
“One gentleman volunteers at the food pantry every day. He is there so often he is like an employee,” she said. “There’s a certain spirit in Naperville where people are invested. They are proud of their community and want it to be something.”
Williams agrees.
“There is some uniqueness here. There are not a lot of cities like it,” he said. “We have great education, an excellent fire department and a park district with good facilities. There are a lot of things. It’s a perfect storm that makes Naperville a great place to live.”
Gallagher says Naperville didn’t become the way it is by chance.
“It’s because so many dedicated people who lived here gave their blood, sweat and tears we are encouraged to keep it going,” he said. “There are some unique people here.”
Last year’s winners were Bob Tanner and Vicky Joseph. I asked them what winning meant to them.
“One of my brother Knights of Columbus nominated me, “said Tanner, who is 82. “He didn’t tell me. I got a call from the Senior Task Force telling me I had been nominated and won at the same time. I was kind of stunned in the sense I didn’t know I was nominated and surprised that I had been.”
Tanner also volunteers for Hesed House and DuPage Pads, has been a leader of his homeowners association, and is mass coordinator and Eucharistic minister for his faith community. When he received his award, he and Joseph were thrown a reception at Naperville City Council.
“I am not a person comfortable in the spotlight. I felt uncomfortable speaking at the city council,” he admitted.
“I just tried to encapsulate what I felt and give credit to other Knights of Columbus for doing what they do to help me do what I do. While some of us are awarded things, we can only do things because of other people’s work. Success is a group effort. A lot of people spend hundreds of hours volunteering for different causes and organizations and they are probably not known outside those organizations.”
Joseph said she was very surprised and honored to have won for her work with Families Helping Families. She founded the nonprofit in 1994, keen to help homeless women and their children find shelter. Her group was one of the first organizations to partner with Bridge Communities, with Joseph serving on their board between 2001 and 2012.
“I was very flattered, but I think it was really an award for our whole group, it’s not a one-woman show,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy and experience to go into making our community a better place. People need to know how to give back. It’s people of my age (67) who have the time. When I started FHF, I had to get babysitters so I could work at it but life does get simpler as your kids grow.”
More Top Picks Best Amazon Prime Day Hydro Flask Deals 2026
Joseph says nonprofits should think about nominating senior volunteers because it brings attention to their organizations.
“When you’ve lived here a while you have a certain innate wisdom that comes with having made a lot of mistakes,” she said. “I think when you nominate someone it highlights your agency more than one person. Whatever calls attention to your organization is worth it because it is helping the community as a whole.”
One male and one female volunteer will be recognized this year during the Oct. 17 Naperville City Council meeting.
The closing date for nominations is Aug. 31. Application forms can be found at www.naperville.il.us/government/taskforces/senior-task-force.
“We are very humbled that the city of Naperville does this,” Gallagher said. “Twenty percent of our city is made up of senior citizens and (many) have done so much to make this a great community.”
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.