Wheaton Honors 8 "Good Citizens" for Volunteer Services

Out of almost 53,000 residents in Wheaton, eight have been recognized as the city's "Good Citizens" for their service to the community.

Wheaton's Community Relations Commission presented Good Citizen awards Monday to eight residents who commissioners believed exemplify what it is to be an outstanding member of the community, according to a release from the City of Wheaton.

In the student category, the winners include:

• Sara Tonne, Wheaton Academy, for her volunteer work with Puente de Pueblo, a tutoring group with local elementary students, and with PADS and her school’s Project LEAD, a group of student leaders focused on serving the community
• Daniel Krc, Wheaton North, for service activities such as volunteering with Key Club, teaching computer skills to seniors, collecting for the Salvation Army at Christmas and more
• Cole Manschot, Wheaton North, for organizing food drives that have collected more than 13,000 pounds of food for local families, an ongoing “Food Pantry Fridays” service project and teaching others how to give back.
• Adam Erickson, Wheaton Warrenville South, for his work as president of Key Club, which has supported the , PTA, , Taste of Wheaton, school Fun Fairs, and the homeless. He also led an effort to raise nearly $100,000 for cancer research.
• Jonny Behrens, Wheaton Warrenville South, for helping form an environmental group and leading recycling programs for things such as old gym shoes and lunch scraps. He also helps with a student organization that assists local homeless individuals.

In the adult category, Nancy Carlson, a member of the Give Back Club, was  receognized for her volunteer work in math and reading placement in local schools, her work in local resale shops and with groups that provide living arrangements for adults with developmental disabilities.

In the senior category, James Whitlock and Fred Wayland, for the Common Ground, a 6,600-square-foot garden that grows truckloads of fresh produce for the People’s Resource Center. They secured grants to devise an irrigation system to keep the large garden watered, and it yielded more than 1,200 pounds of produce last year for local people in need of food.

Courtesy of the City of Wheaton