The Dr. Edgar (Ted) Gifford Community Service Award

The Rotary Club of La Grange established the Ted Gifford Award in 2003 to honor the community’s unsung heroes.  The award was named after Dr. Gifford in recognition of his compassionate leadership and significant contributions to his fellow man.

Dr. Gifford, a founding member of the Rotary Club of La Grange, served as the club’s first president and assisted in organizing over thirty additional Rotary clubs.  He received the Rotary International President’s Humanitarian Citation in recognition of his contributions to the global community.  He was instrumental in passage of an enactment which made Youth Exchange an official program of Rotary International.

Ted Gifford’s civic activities include Director of the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, President of the Young Men’s Business Club, La Grange Memorial Hospital Associate Board of Governors, President of the La Grange Area Historical Society, and Past President of Aging Care Connections.

The Ted Gifford Award recognizes volunteers that emulate Dr. Gifford’s examples of community service and love for his fellow man.  Volunteers who work quietly and tirelessly without compensation and far from the spotlight are unsung heroes.  This community service award honors those that exemplify the best of volunteerism.

Past Recipients
2003 Suzanne Johnson
2004 Gaylon Lightner
2005 Kenneth Eastman
2006 Mary Vann
2007 Raymond Vavra
2008 Dan Laczynski
2009 Richard Best
2011 Heather Cavanaugh
2012 Sharon Flaim
2013 Jeannine McLaughlin
2014 Marion L. Vicek
2016 Joanie Domanico
         Alison Kelly
         JoAnn Williams
2017 Bill Ackerman
2018 Bob Breen
2019 Dean Bissias