Approximately 180 supporters of Abilities Plus gathered on Oct. 24 at the Annawan Banquet Center to help the organization celebrate another successful year helping those in need at the agency’s annual awards dinner. 

The evening provided an opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to serve the needs of individuals with delays and disabilities in Henry and Stark Counties. 

The 2024 award winners are: 

Civic/Community Award – Galva Knights of Columbus. The Galva Knights of Columbus have been supporting Abilities Plus for many years. They continue to support us yearly through a donation from their annual Tootsie Roll drive.

Along with this donation, they also allow many of our clients to help sell Tootsie Rolls at businesses, which in turn helps us to achieve our mission of promoting independence to those we serve. We appreciate all that the Galva KOC does for Abilities Plus each year. 

Posthumous Award – Gail Ripka, Kewanee. Gail became a member of our Human Rights Committee in 2011 and served until March of this year. She was very active on boards and committees in the Kewanee area, and we are grateful she was able to give Abilities Plus so many years of service.

Gail was a loyal supporter of Abilities Plus and all that we stand for. Gail had a long history in the medical field and we benefited from her ideas and suggestions. Abilities Plus is a better agency due to Gail’s time and dedication to our mission. Gail was always reading and therefor, always learning. We benefited from her wealth of knowledge and will be forever grateful. 

Volunteer Award – Linda Bolls, Kewanee (Posthumously). Linda was a force. She was up for anything and helped out wherever needed. She enjoyed the clients and would do anything for them. She helped tremendously with Special Olympics, CDS, and medical appointments. She started a Bible study and took some of our clients to church. 

She is greatly missed by clients and staff. Her absence has left a big hole in our program. Every day when she came in, the question was asked, “how are you today?” Her response, “blessed.” We were blessed to have had her working with us. 

Gary German Memorial Award – Derek Neal, Kewanee. The Gary German Memorial Award was established in 1997 in memory of Gary German and is given to one Special Olympic athlete each year. Gary was one of the original clients to receive services from the agency 65 years ago, and he loved participating in our Special Olympic program, often assisted and cheered on by past agency founder, volunteer, and his mother, Jean German. 

The award goes to one athlete each year who exhibits good sportsmanship, enthusiasm and encouragement with other athletes, has good attendance at practices and events, and abides by the Special Olympic motto: “Let me win. But, if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. 

Derek Neal was chosen as this year’s recipient because he exhibits the qualities this award was named for. He always gives his all in everything he does. He never lets anything get him down. His enthusiasm is contagious. Derek always supports his teammates 100 percent. He is kind, courteous and respectful to everyone, a pleasure to be around and he exemplifies the Olympic spirit. 

Business Award – University of Illinois Extension Office, Galva. The business award is given to a business that has provided substantial and meaningful sub-contract work to Abilities Plus resulting in relevant training. 

The University of Illinois Extension office in Galva contacted Abilities Plus about cleaning their office. We started cleaning there in January of this year.
Paula, Darcy, and the other staff have been wonderful to work with. They are helpful and appreciative of the work we do. They are accommodating to schedule changes due to weather, scheduling conflicts or other activities.

They always take the time to talk to the clients when they come to clean on Tuesday afternoons. Six clients have gone to clean and at least four or five different Abilities Plus staff members have been there. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with them. 

Achiever of the Year – Morgan Thorp, Kewanee. Morgan has been familiar with Abilities Plus since 2006. Along with her identical twin sister, they enjoy dressing the same to see if staff can tell them apart. Morgan likes to tease. She is also a good worker. She is willing to sub on crews if she doesn’t already go on that crew. Morgan will offer to do piecework when jobs are available. She works hard on her goals and friendly and helpful to everyone. 

Special Recognition Award – Pat Brown and Gary Streitmatter, Toulon (Posthumously). Abilities Plus as we know it today would not exist without either of these individuals. When Gary was born, special education did not exist. Pat found this unacceptable and with the efforts of a small group of parents, founded Abilities Plus in 1959. Her tenacity, compassion and vision have blossomed into an organization that now serves over 150 individuals annually across 11 different programs.

We owe Pat a great deal of gratitude for being fierce, for not taking no for answer, for turning obstacles into opportunities and for her commitment to providing a better life for people with disabilities. 

Pat also served as an active member of the board for many years, even serving as the board president. She also was involved as a staff member for several years as the family support director. 

Once Pat retired from her official duties she continued to be actively involved. She formed a parent group to help provide support and guidance to others. She wrote letters to the editor, to our representatives and other elected officials to enlighten them about our services and the need for funding. It’s fitting that on our 65th anniversary, we honor two individuals who were the founding fathers of Abilities Plus. 

Special Recognition Award – Amelia Vincent, Cambridge. Our director of finance, Lauren Vincent, proposed the idea of applying for funding through ISBE to open a preschool for all program at Abilities Plus. After completing the application, we were awarded the grant.

Amelia was able to come in and direct us on getting the program off the ground. She ordered everything we needed, set up the room per the ISBE regulations and even assembled a lot of the furniture. We cannot thank her enough. Her help was a blessing and relieved a lot of stress. 

Our preschool Director, Stephanie Hagaman, had this to say about Amelia’s efforts: ”I want to acknowledge the incredible effort that went into setting up the preschool room using the ECERS-3 framework. Your dedication and thoughtfulness truly shine through in every detail. The countless hours and time you’ve devoted to this project have not gone unnoticed, and it’s clear that you’ve poured your heart into creating an enriching environment for the children.” 

Directors Award – Steve Johnson, Galva. The Director’s Award is given to an individual who has made significant and substantial impact on the agency and/or improved the quality of life of persons we serve. 

Steve joined the Abilities Plus board of directors in 1991. He served on the board for 33 years before retiring in June of this year. Steve worked with three executive directors and multiple  board members throughout his tenure. Steve has helped every year with our annual golf outing and has pledged to continue to help.

He could always be counted on to lighten the mood at our meetings with his jokes. We are thankful for his many years of dedicated services to the agency.