As Curtis Wilson was being honored for yet another volunteer duty in Aurora, he got a big surprise.
He was singled out as the Volunteer of the Year, a “new tradition” the city intends to carry forward, according to Clayton Muhammad, chief communications and equity and diversity officer for the city.
“You got me,” said the surprised Wilson, who was already at this week’s City Council meeting being honored for his volunteer work for the Senior Shovel program, which matches volunteers to shovel snow during the winter for senior homeowners.
April is National Volunteer Month, and the city was honoring the 100 volunteers who served 200 homes during the winter in a program begun several years ago.
Many of the Senior Shovel volunteers were on hand at Tuesday’s meeting, including Wilson.
“These folks are angels,” said Mayor Richard Irvin. “They give to those who are vulnerable. I can’t give credit enough for your willingness to give to your city.”
A moment later, the city revived a tradition that has been done by other administrations in the past – honoring a volunteer of the year – by recognizing Wilson, whom Muhammad said has done work that goes “across all 10 wards.”
To accentuate that, several aldermen told of Wilson attending events in their wards – from shred events to ice cream socials to back-to-school efforts.
Ald. Brandon Tolliver, 7th Ward, pointed out he has only been an alderman a matter of months, but that Wilson has attended “every event I’ve done so far.”
Alds. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, and Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said beyond the work he’s done is the attitude and demeanor he displays – always positive, always smiling.
“This man is refreshing,” Franco said. “The glass is always half full.”
Wilson moved to Aurora about five years ago, and immediately began involvement in community events. He currently is the chairman of the Citizen Review Board of the Aurora Police Department, and has become a fixture at many other events.
Ald. Michael Saville, 6th Ward, called Wilson a “shining example to us all,” and said his involvement is such that it’s “hard to believe he has not been here all his life.”
A surprised Wilson said the Volunteer of the Year award “is truly an honor.”
“There’s true satisfaction in serving others,” he said. “How can we do better together?”
Irvin said the evening of honoring volunteers had inspired him, especially as he noted that Franco was one of the Senior Shovel volunteers this past winter. Irvin said he would volunteer to shovel snow as part of the program next winter.
slord@tribpub.com
