ADULT GOOD SAMARITAN HERO
Presented by: The Private Bank
Presented to: F. Shellie Reed, Drew Morganegg & Daniel Kleinwachter

F. Shellie Reed, Drew Morganegg & Daniel Kleinwachter

On July 13, 2006, a Volkswagen Jetta speeding 100-miles-per-hour westbound on Rt. 56 hit the median, went airborne and collided head on with a Cadillac Escalade. Both drivers were killed. The children sitting in the back seat of the Cadillac were not, however.

Still they were clearly in grave danger. The car was burning and the young boy inside was bleeding badly. Along came Drew Morganegg and Daniel Kleinwachter of Yorkville who just happened to be driving by. The pair parked their car, pulled 8-year-old Nicholas Martinez to safety, and administered first aid to stop the bleeding. Had they not done this, EMTs later estimated Nicholas would have bled out in a matter of minutes.

About the same time, former Batavia police chief F. Shellie Reed of St. Charles, also happened to drive by. He, too, exited his car, called 911 and then entered the burning Cadillac in order to free Nicholas' sister Gloria, 12, who was still trapped and lying unconscious inside. Although the damage to the car made it impossible to extricate her at the time, Mr. Reed stayed with Gloria, desperately trying to free her despite risking his own life. As he continued to comfort her until help arrived, the car's engine smoldered ominously.

Because of the efforts of these three gentlemen, Nicholas and Gloria both survived. Had the men not stopped their cars to help, the outcome would have been considerably different, even more tragic for the Martinez family.

Without so much as a second thought, they saved the lives of two strangers. There is no better definition of "Adult Good Samaritans."

COMMUNITY IMPACT HERO
Presented by: Havlicek Builders
Presented to: Kurt Maranhas

Kurt Maranhas

A favorite story told about St. Charles resident Kurt Maranhas goes something like this:

His friend had been contracted to paint a home. In the process, the friend fell off the ladder, broke his back, and called Kurt for help. Kurt rushed from his job, took his friend to the hospital, waited for him to stabilize after surgery, and then went back to finish painting the house for him.

That story will come as no surprise to Kurt's many admirers. A husband and father or two, he is always looking out for others, they say, despite running his own two businesses. He teaches Sunday School, leads a Boy Scout Den, coaches basketball and soccer, serves on his Home Owner's Association, and more. Much more. Following Hurricane Katrina, for example, he even donated his Florida home to a displaced family for two months. And that's just in this country.

An active member of the First Baptist Church in Geneva, Kurt also helps run and fund a Mexico House Building Mission Team. Twice a year, the "team" goes to Acuna, Mexico, to build and/or significantly improve housing for local families. During a recent trip in 2006, the team not only built a new house but added a roof/wall/door/window and bunk bed to another, installed a ceiling at a third house, constructed a new staircase for a local church and distributed 250 pairs of shoes throughout local neighborhoods.

Quite obviously, Kurt Maranhas' community impact knows no bounds or borders. For that, we're proud to honor him as this year's Community Impact Hometown Hero.

COMMUNITY SAFETY HERO
Presented by: Shodeen Family Foundation
Presented to: Ron Anderson

Ron Anderson

Sometimes it's just better to let a story tell itself. The following comes from the desk of William, J. Darin, Fire Chief for the City of Batavia:

"On November, 1, 2006, at approximately 10:36 p.m., the Batavia Fire Department was dispatched to a fire alarm at the Holmstad Retirement Center, 700 West Fabyan Parkway. Upon arrival, the firefighters were met by residents advising that there was a fire in the building and someone may be trapped. The fire was in Building C on the third floor.

"A Holmstad security guard, Ron Anderson, was on the third floor trying to evacuate the elderly residents from the very smoky conditions. While evacuating others, Mr. Anderson was overcome by smoke and sustained injuries to his back. He had to be transported to Delnor Hospital in Geneva for these injuries.

"The Batavia Fire Department staff has recommended to me that Mr. Anderson be nominated for a Hometown Hero Award. It is our opinion that he performed duties above and beyond the call of duty and put his personal well-being in jeopardy in order to insure the safety of others."

Mr. Anderson's story is reminiscent of a quote by famed author Robert Louis Stevenson, whose advice was to "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others."

On November 1st, Ron Anderson of Geneva did just that, earning him both our admiration and the 2007 Community Safety Hometown Hero Award.

ENVIRONMENTAL HERO
Presented by: S. C. Lucas Law Offices
Presented to: Mary Ochsenschalger

Mary Ochsenschalger

With all due respect to Barbara Walters, if Mary Ochsenschalger (a.k.a. Mary O) were a tree, what kind of tree would she be?

The tallest one, say her admirers and friends – a real stand-out even amongst the Fox River Valley's many esteemed environmentalists.
A naturalist for the St. Charles Park District for more than a decade, Mary O was literally born to greatness in her field. Her father was a national Park Ranger who worked at the Grand Canyon and Isle Royale. She herself has completed naturalist certification at Morton Arboretum, served as a docent in their outdoor program, supervised the building of a state-of-the-art natural garden at the Pottowatomie Park Building, is chairman of the Frog Monitoring Program for the Chicago region, and participated as a member, board member and/or chairman of a variety of organizations including the Pottowatomie Garden Club, Preservation Partners, Audubon and the Conservation Foundation. Currently, she continues to lecture, write, and teach in addition to serving as the chair of the Regional Planning Commission. In the latter capacity she was involved with the development of the County's impressive 2030 Plan.

And that's just a brief overview. To list all her many accomplishments would far outstrip our allotted word count. Suffice it to say, Mary O has influenced many, many people --from children through seniors -- to follow in her footsteps by contributing to the care of local natural areas.

She is, indeed, the tallest tree in the forest – the perfect first-ever recipient of the Environmental Impact Hero Award. Those who come after will have a great deal to live up to!

EDUCATION HERO
Presented by: Colonial Cafe & Ice Cream
Presented to: Bob and Donna Burkholder

Donna & Bob Burkholder

Losing a child is unimaginable. But losing two children? There are no words empty enough to describe that kind of loss.

No one knows that better than Bob and Donna Burkholder of Elburn. Their sons Andrew, 17, and Jarrett, 15, were killed four years ago this month in a car accident on their way home from school during a blinding snowstorm.

The outpouring of love, sympathy and memorials from the community was nothing short of overwhelming. In one instance, within a few weeks of the fatal accident a memorial fund swelled to $10,000.
Determined to use the fund to help others and honor their sons, the Burkholders opted to add the memorial money to the college funds they already saved for the boys' educations. The plan was to not only give out $1,000 scholarships to help Kaneland high school seniors going to college, but to keep the memories of Andrew and Jarret alive. Over the next three years, the couple eventually gave out more than 50 scholarships, most of it their money.

While handing out the final batch of awards last May, Donna Burkholder had these poignant words of wisdom for the winners:
"Everything you do, every action you take has an effect on someone else. Go out there, make a difference, and be kind. That's the most important thing."

It is for their actions, their effect on others, and their kindnesses that Bob and Donna Burkholder have been named our Education Hometown Heroes for 2007.

MEDICAL HERO
Presented by: Delnor-Community Hospital
Presented to: Bill Wolford, Jim Pickle, Bill Anderson & Bob Nelson

Bill Anderson	Bill Wolford
Bob Nelson	Jim Pickle

It all started out so simple – a platform tennis match between four friends at the Geneva Golf Club. Then, suddenly, it became a matter of life and death for Bill Wolford, Jim Pickle, Bill Anderson and Bob Nelson.

Another man getting set to serve on an adjacent court, keeled over. Instead of getting up, he laid there unresponsive. Bill Wolford immediately called 911. Soon afterward, the man went into full-fledged cardiac arrest.

Jim Pickle stepped in and started CPR while Bill Anderson attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Bob Nelson then hooked the gentleman up to an AED – automated external defibrillator. Once plugged in, the AED actually "told" the rescuers exactly what to do.
The victim survived and underwent triple bypass surgery the next day. He has since recovered and is now leading a normal life. Had the four friends not stepped in, the results would have been far different. Far, far different.

"It goes to show you how important it is to have these AEDs in our places of business and in public areas," Bill Wolford said. "They can save lives at every turn."

While that is true, the machines can't run themselves. Thankfully, Mr. Wolford together with Jim Pickle, Bill Anderson and Bob Nelson were prepared and ready to answer the call by putting their life saving skills into use. As a result, a day that started out so simple only to turn so potentially deadly, had a very happy ending – for everyone.

MILITARY HERO
Presented by: FlagSource
Presented to: Ralph Gebes

Ralph Gebes

If there is a local event even remotely related to members of the military – veterans and active personnel alike -- you can expect Ralph Gebes of Batavia to be there. Simply put, his support for troops past and present is relentless -- in the very best of ways, of course.

A Viet Nam veteran himself, Ralph currently heads up "Batavia Cares," a local troop support organization that assembles and ships care packages to Batavia Township soldiers serving overseas. Worth special note is the organization's annual "An American Christmas for the Troops" campaign that sends Christmas packages to deployed troops. In fact, Mr. Gebes himself received one of these packages in 1972 when he was stationed in Thailand. At the time, the program was run by the VFW Women's Auxiliary.

Ralph has since taken it upon himself to keep the program running for current township troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. His goal? To help boost the soldiers' moral by letting them know people back home are supporting them. He also works with wounded soldiers once they come home and, in his spare time, serves as the assistant public relations director for Department of Illinois VFW. In the latter capacity, he is once again relentless, this time with regard to his advocacy work on behalf of members of the Armed Forces and their families.

No matter what your position on this or any other war, everyone agrees our troops need and deserve our support. What makes Ralph Gebes a Hometown Hero is that he's always doing something about it. Always.

YOUTH GOOD SAMARITAN HERO
Presented by: Gordon Flesch Co.
Presented to: Dan Schmidt

Dan Schmidt

A recent St. Charles East graduate, Dan Schmidt did it all during high school:

Among other things he was a freshman mentor, honor student and a piano player in the school's jazz band. The only difference between him and the next guy or gal is that he did it all from his "motorized gokart," a.k.a. wheelchair.

That Dan takes such a positive approach to his "vehicle" is part and parcel of having a very positive attitude despite battling muscular dystrophy, an inherited disease that weakens muscles over time. In Dan's case, by the end of high school, he had little movement beyond the shoulder area.

Still, he manages to play the piano – partly for the sake of the music he makes and partly to give other people strength. As he recently told a local reporter, "Through me doing things like playing the piano, I hope to push people beyond. I want to help others by using my experiences to make them better people, to make a positive impact on the world."

"If I can do it you can, too" is his message. And his reason for living life to its fullest.

Dan hopes to become a filmmaker someday so he can use the art to inspire others…as if he wasn't doing that already every day in every way. Although he's quick to credit his family, friends and teachers for encouraging him when times were tougher, we're more than happy to give him all the kudos he deserves by naming him the Youth Good Samaritan Hometown Hero for 2007.