“Spectacular!”
That’s how this year’s Annual Dinner at Pear Tree Estate in Champaign can be described. It was a spectacular evening of fun, friends, and food. We could not have asked for a better way of celebrating our 2023 accomplishments and our award winners at such a beautiful venue.
The weather was perfect for sitting out on the patio and enjoying the company of PRN members and guests. With over 250 guests, we had a packed house!
Announcing Clean Water Forever
PRN Executive Director headlined the evening previewing our statewide Clean Water Forever campaign. Outlining how we will work our way upstream from Cairo to Chicago, to sound the alarm about the emergency facing our rivers, lakes, and groundwater. From access to clean drinking water to access to recreation, Illinois has a tremendous amount of work to do to provide long-term solutions to our shared water security.
River Steward Award
PRN’s Andrew Rehn honored this year’s River Steward Award to Gary Swick of Elgin. Swick is the current president of the Friends of the Fox River and has served on its board of directors since 1991, volunteering 30+ hours a week. From stream monitoring to guiding nature walks to organizing river and shoreline cleanups, Swick fosters a deeper connection between people and the natural world.
Outstanding Public Servant Award
PRN’s Amanda Pankau celebrated the opening of the Rise Community Market in Cairo by honoring Steven Tarver and Marcella Woodson, co-founders of Men of Power Women of Strength and current co-op board members, Sean Park with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, and John Shadowens with the University of Illinois Extension for their work on the market.
For the last seven years, members of the Cairo community have been without a grocery store, limiting access to fresh, affordable, and nutritious food. In June of this year, Rise Community Market opened its doors to the community and has begun to address food insecurity, environmental injustice, and disparities in food access worsened by climate change.
You Took a Stand
In our fight against the unnecessary Hunter Lake reservoir in Springfield, you stepped up! Dozens of attendees took action to fight the US Army Corps of Engineers project that is unnecessary, expensive, and environmentally destructive and would ruin wetlands, hundreds of acres of mature forest, endangered species habitat, two entire streams, and hundreds of acres of farms. This project will effectively destroy 10% of the remaining forests in all of Sangamon County. Thank you to all of those that took action!
And Finally… You Gave Big!
Thank you to all of those who donated through our Annual Fundraising Dinner event! With donations and pledges, we raised over $105,000+! That’s amazing! We cannot thank you enough for your trust in Prairie Rivers Network!
