Mount Prospect to honor its Shining Stars after one-year hiatus
The mayor's wife, a former police chief and a longtime community volunteer are among those who will be honored at the upcoming Mount Prospect Shining Stars Gala.
The 30th annual gala will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Cotillion Banquets, 360 S. Creekside Drive in Palatine.
Because last year's gala was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's banquet will honor both the 2021 and 2022 winners.
Honorees for 2022 will include Linda Hoefert, wife of Mayor Paul Hoefert. She will receive the Living Legend Award for her work on behalf of the village's special events commission, the centennial committee and the Mount Prospect chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.
The Best Neighbor Award goes to Ray and Ginny Wilke, Mount Prospect mainstays who have been married for more than 70 years.
Star Spangled Banner Award winner Ron Willer, chaplain of Mount Prospect's VFW Post 1337, served his country during the Vietnam War as a night vision specialist. Stationed just outside of Saigon, he served in combat during the Tet Offensive and earned the Presidential Unit Citation.
2021 winners include Unsung Hero Award recipient John Koziol, the recently retired police chief, and Living Legend Award-winner Carol Tortorello, a longtime community volunteer who has been involved in the village's blood drive and with the village's community emergency response team.
Tickets for the event are now on sale at mountprospect.org/shiningstars. Tickets are $85 per person before Jan. 20, $95 per person after. The deadline to purchase tickets is Jan. 29. The evening includes an open bar, dinner, dancing to the sounds of Out of Control and more.