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Jamie Kucera Named Cook County’s 16th District Peggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Award Winner

Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar honors Jamie Kucera and her work as Executive Director and CEO at the PAV YMCA

Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar has named Jamie Kucera the 2022 16th District Peggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Award Winner.

Jamie Kucera has been the Executive Director and CEO at the Pav YMCA for the last 10 years, and has served the organization and community in the Y movement for over 22 years.

Her mission is to provide others the opportunity to build a healthy spirit, mind and body, even through the most challenging times.

“I am humbled and honored to represent the 16th District as an Unsung Heroine and I am grateful to be recognized by Commissioner Aguilar,” said Jamie Kucera.

“The work that I do every day to serve my community is rewarding, but to be honored for that work is extraordinary. I do what I do because our community needs support; if I could help people feel supported then my job feels fulfilling.”

Throughout the pandemic, Jamie Kucera and The Y have stepped in to provide necessary resources for the community with limited financial means.

The organization has partnered with Alivio Medical Center to administer nearly 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines.

The YMCA has provided over 15,000 emergency food boxes to seniors to allow them to stay safely in their home and have sustainable food. Led by Jamie, the Y has created a distribution system to provide shelf stable food items and fresh produce twice a month to the community to fight food insecurity among seniors, distributing over 20,0000 bags of food to those in need.

The Y also opened their doors to families in need of childcare and remote learning support when schools were forced to close and has been host to over 20 blood drives in the last few years. Jamie has worked tirelessly to secure funding through grants and federal assistance programs to keep people employed and the doors open at the Y.

“It was a pleasure to nominate Jamie as the 16th District’s Unsung Heroine Award Winner,” said Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar.

“Jamie’s hard work and dedication to improving our communities is what makes our district so strong. She never backs down from a challenge, looking for solutions no matter what problems or challenges may arise. I am so grateful to have her in our district and community, and want to congratulate her on winning this award. There is always work to do, and I know Jamie will continue to be a great partner and leader in everything we want to accomplish in the 16th District.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

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