Patch Picks: 5 People to be Recognized for Their Service in Town

Five People to be Recognized for Their Service in Town:

1. Karen Patton

- Patton is the Director of Development at CASA of DuPage County and has been with CASA since January of 2010. She dedicates her time to her family and is involved with the Wheaton Warrenville South High School Football team, marching band and website. She has raised money for band fundraisers and for the football team since her children became involved in both. Her daughter, now a senior has been playing the clarinet since fifth grade and her son, now a sophomore, has been playing football since he was in sixth grade. Patton has also been involved with Wheaton Infant Welfare since 2006.

2. Lenore Wilcox

 - Wilcox is a retired educator and top volunteer at the People’s Resource Center. Not only does she volunteer several times a week in the food pantry, but she also has taken charge of the center’s outdoor plantings.

“She works tirelessly to stock shelves and help with clients and then she goes outside and plants and mulches, weeds and waters. She truly has made the PRC a better place,” said Melissa Travis, senior director of programs at the People’s Resource Center.

3. Joe Emmerth

- Emmerth is a partner at Sullivan, Taylor & Gumina Law firm and dedicates his free time to the community. He volunteers as Justice of the West Suburban Alumni Chapter Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity. He was appointed to and serves on the Judicial Evaluations Committee of the Illinois State Bar Association. Emmerth represents DuPage County as an elected Assembly member of the Illinois State Bar Association and frequently contributes articles to DCBA Brief. He is the chairman of the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Network and serves on the Board of Directors at Positive Parenting DuPage.

4. Jane Hodgkinson

- Hodgkinson served for 30 years as Executive Director with the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA) in addition to contributing a great deal of time to local organizations. Hodgkinson has been recognized for decades of service in DuPage as an advocate for families with special needs. She is also a member of the Women League of Voters. She was honored this year as the Fourth of July Parade Marshal.

“Hodgkinson truly represents Wheaton as she has always given 110 percent of herself to WDSRA as well as to the residents of Wheaton,” said Margie Wilhelmi, marketing director for the Wheaton Park District.

5. Jan Kay

- Kay is a social policy specialist and has been a member of the Women League of Voters for a number of years. She is the chairman of the league's housing comittee. In 2000, she received the Robert Christ Award for service in the community and her work with the WLV. She is the vice president of the board of directors of Community Housing Advocacy and Development. She is on the steering committee of the DuPage Housing Action Coalition. The list of her service goes on and on and spans many years in Wheaton.