News Briefs: Glencoe Park District is National Gold Medal finalist; Stamp Out Hunger a ‘success’; Regina student qualifies for journ state

The Glencoe Park District is a finalist for the 2025 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.

According to a news release from the Glencoe Park District, this year was the first it could reapply for the honor after winning the Grand Plaque in 2019. The district reportedly was also a Gold Medal finalist in 2017, 2018 and 2019, “an achievement that underscores the district’s longstanding commitment to excellence,” the release says.

The Gold Medal Award is a program from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. It judges district’s on everything from long-range planning to resource management to program development, community engagement and more.

“It is an incredible honor for the Glencoe Park District to be recognized as a finalist in the prestigious National Gold Medal Award Program,” said Lisa Sheppard, executive director of the Glencoe Park District. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our staff, board, volunteers, and the support of our community in creating exceptional parks, facilities, and programs that enhance the quality of life in Glencoe. We are proud to stand alongside other outstanding agencies in Illinois and across the country.”

Other Illinois finalists include Waukegan Park District (Class III), Glenview Park District and Park District of Oak Park (Class IV), and Oak Brook Park District (Class V; same as Glencoe).

Finalists are evaluated and selected by a panel of five distinguished park and recreation professionals and then one in each class chosen for the Grand Plaque to be awarded on Sept. 16-18 in Orlando.

Moraine Township: Stamp Out Hunger a success

Highland Park mail carriers collected and then delivered nearly 1,000 bags of donated food during the Stamp Out Hunger program May 10.

Residents left donations for the carriers who then brought them to the 50-plus volunteers at the Moraine Township Food Pantry.

“This was a tremendous effort on the part of our Highland Park letter carriers, organized by Joe Cholewa. Their effort was above and beyond, and deeply appreciated,” Township Trustee Mark Haggarty said in a statement.

Event co-coordinator Lisa Greene added, “Every square inch of our pantry is filled with food. We are amazed!”

May 10 marked the 31st annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive, and the drive is particularly timely in May to help stock the food pantry’s shelves for summer when there are fewer community food drives, a township press release says.

“The Township relies on a corps of volunteers who make it possible for the food pantry to serve our residents in need,” Moraine Township Supervisor Anne Flanigan Bassi said in the release. “Volunteers and letter carriers unloaded and sorted bags of food.”

Moraine Township’s Food Pantry serves income-qualified residents who visit our food pantry twice a month to receive shelf-stable food items, plus produce, dairy, and frozen meat. The pantry is located at 800 Central Ave. in Highland Park and recorded more 8,000 resident-visits to our pantry in the prior 12-months.

Regina student makes school history at journalism state finals

Regina Dominican for the first time was represented at the IHSA journalism competition on April 25 in Normal.

Junior Caroline Golden qualified in the advertising category, marking the school’s first state-level appearance in journalism through IHSA.

Six students competed at the sectional level on April 5. They were: Alice Kisor (newswriting), Addison Meziere (review writing), Frances Galutan (editorial writing), Judy Fabianski (infographics) and Fiona Coffman (yearbook theme development).

A press release from Regina reads, “These achievements reflect the strength and prestige of Regina Dominican’s academic programs and the dedication of its students and faculty. The school community celebrates their success and looks forward to supporting these scholars as they represent Regina on the state and national stage.”

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