Wheaton middle school assistant principal named foundation’s Charlie Long Award winner
The Western DuPage Special Recreation Association Foundation recently named Joe Kish as the 2024 Charlie Long Award winner.
He is the assistant principal at Franklin Middle School in Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200. In a surprise presentation made June 3 at the Charlie Long/WDSRA Golf Classic at Arrowhead Golf Club, Kish was honored for exemplifying the unwavering dedication, passion, and commitment to community work that the Charlie Long Award celebrates.
Like Charlie Long, Kish brings people together to serve our friends in the community. His generosity with his time, energy, and effort has been instrumental in uniting groups and individuals in support of WDSRA and the broader DuPage community. His work reflects the very essence of Charlie Long’s legacy. The WDSRA is grateful for his continued contributions and inspiring leadership.
Since 2013, Kish has organized the annual Hero Night Dodgeball Tournament held at Franklin Middle School. The WDSRA, along with two other nonprofits, was a recipient of the funds raised at the April tournament.
Long was a shining example of someone who understood the meaning of community, philanthropy, support, and dedication. He was also an outstanding advocate for WDSRA. Long was a longtime friend to WDSRA, and his son Andy has been participating in its programs since 1977.
In 2009, the Golf Classic was renamed in his honor after his death at age 70 in 2008. The Charlie Long Award was created to celebrate those individuals who continue to live their lives in the remarkable fashion that Charlie lived his. Learn more about Charlie Long at www.wdsra.com.
The Western DuPage Special Recreation Association offers engaging, community-based recreational programs and inclusion services for children, teens, and adults with special needs. It offers Special Olympics, adapted sports, dance and art programs, camps, trips, special events, and more. Its mission, the development of individuals through recreation, makes it possible for individuals to grow personally, connect with their community and discover their potential.
It’s a cooperative extension of nine park districts serving the communities of Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Roselle, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield. For information, visit www.wdsra.com.