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The other finalist for this year’s award was Sara-Ann Rosen.
Elizabeth Ribarsky of Springfield, associate professor of communication at UIS, was honored with the Star Staff Award.
Ribarsky has chaired the annual Illinois Humane Trivia Night and in two years, she raised an additional $25,000 for the organization with this event.
Reagan Weichold of Chatham was honored with the Youth Volunteer Award. She was nominated by the Animal Protective League.
Weichold is a mentor for the APL’s Junior Volunteer Program.
Other finalists included Tyler Lancaster and Audrey Lupton.
Twenty volunteers were also honored with the Heart of Gold Award. Individual recipients were: Dennis Ahlberg, Anne Anderson, Stacey Austin, Jim Barr, Sandy Bellatti, Sally Cadagin, Becky Gabany, Paula Harris, Dorothy Hart, William G. Holland, DeeDee McCarty, Allison Montney, Traci Moore, Kristie Parkins, Megan Philpot, Renate Selby, Teressa Shelton, Kate Ward and Laura Winkelmann.
Growing up in Springfield, Anna Thoele said her mom, Therese Thoele, would bring her and her siblings to the St. Martin de Porres Center to volunteer on Saturdays. It was one of my grandparents favorite charities, said Thoele, referring to her mom s parents, Harriet and Lawrence Hagele. After they passed away, my mom kept it going and took all of us.
So it was a natural that Thoele would show up Friday at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Meadowbrook Drive to donate to the All-City Food Drive.
Volunteers, including students from schools which compete in the Boys City Basketball Tournament Lanphier, Southeast, Springfield and Sacred Heart-Griffin raised a little over $100,000 for St. Martin de Porres, more than doubling a goal set last week.
Staff Report
The 14th annual All-City Food Drive will take place at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2200 Meadowbrook Drive, on Friday.
The food drive has been held in conjunction with the Boys City Basketball Tournament at the Bank of Springfield Center. The City Tournament, which would have run Thursday, Friday and Saturday last week, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students from Lanphier, Southeast, Springfield and Sacred Heart-Griffin high schools will be on site collecting monetary donations for St. Martin de Porres Center.
Sam Madonia will be doing a live phone-a-thon on Sports Radio 1450 from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday.