2024 Honoring Excellence Awards Program
2025 Honoring Excellence Awards Program!
Honoring Excellence is LeadingAge Illinois’ member award program that recognizes individuals and organizations that put quality first, deliver excellence and inspire others to do the same. If you are a LeadingAge Illinois member provider and have an exceptional staff person or are an organization with a stellar program deserving of recognition – we encourage you to consider submitting a nomination.
Nominations are now closed.
AWARDS: There are four individual awards and one organization award.
Heart and Hands Award
Strive and Thrive Award
This award is given to an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to excellence. Through innovation and/or creative thinking, the individual has produced or created a result that is a direct benefit to the residents/clients or the organization. This award recognizes vision, initiative and creative problem solving.
Leadership in Action Award
This award is given to an individual, who is a management staff person, whose actions and leadership greatly enhance the work environment and the quality of life for their colleagues and residents/clients. The individual’s accomplishments demonstrate a commitment to a team approach and excellence in the workplace. This collaborative style of leadership has resulted in trusting and respectful relationships with their team and high levels of resident/client satisfaction. (This award is given out to Management staff only)
Rising Star Award
Community Impact Award
This award is given to an organization for participation in outreach to the greater community beyond the organization’s own walls or core mission. The organization shall have created or participated in a program/effort that has had a positive impact on both the community at-large and the organization. The action(s) taken by the organization measurably met a community need and demonstrates the organization’s role as a contributing member of their local community.
Examples: Intergenerational programs, community education efforts, donation of facility resources for community use,
outreach to at-risk youth, resident-led volunteer service projects or any voluntary activities designed to address local
community needs, etc.
Volunteer of the Year Award
This award will be presented to a resident, group, individual or outside volunteer of a LeadingAge Illinois member organization. This honoree will have performed significant volunteer services to residents or clients of a member organization.
Criteria: A demonstrated and unique commitment to preserving the dignity, well-being, health, independence, and fullness of life of residents or clients of LeadingAge Illinois member organizations.
Candidates: An individual or a group, as identified above, serving as an unpaid volunteer for a LeadingAge Illinois member organization.
Board Member of the Year Award
This award is bestowed on an individual who has served unselfishly and with distinction on the board of trustees of a LeadingAge Illinois member organization. The honoree will have contributed a significant amount of time and effort toward the betterment of his or her organization and to enrich the lives of older adults.
Criteria: Demonstrated exceptional commitment and actions to enhance and enrich the lives of aging persons, exceptional service to the member organization and residents, and specific evidence of leadership in helping achieve the organization’s goals and objectives attained during their leadership.
Candidates: An individual who serves as a trustee/director on the board of a LeadingAge Illinois member organization.
Leading Life Award
This award celebrates a resident or client of a LeadingAge Illinois member organization who has demonstrated an extraordinary attitude and level of resilience as they have grown older. The honoree transforms views on aging through their continued learning, engagement, and contributions. They inspire others to re-define their perspectives of “old” and to embrace aging, advocating for all to enjoy life no matter the age and setting an example for others to aspire to.
Criteria: This individual through their extraordinary attitude and/or engagement transforms perspectives on aging and serves as an inspiration to others.
Candidates: A resident or client of a LeadingAge Illinois member organization.