April 20, 2021 – Young Leaders In Action (YLIA), a service and leadership group of Macon County high school students, was named winner of the 2021 Governor’s Cup, presented by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker during a virtual ceremony held earlier today. The Governor’s Cup is the top honor given among a field of 24 Illinois community projects that were recognized with the 2021 Governor’s Hometown Awards earlier this year.
The awards program gives formal recognition to groups whose projects improved their community’s quality of life. “This award honors our entire community,” says Natalie Beck, CEO of The Community Foundation of Macon County. “YLIA participants continually put forth efforts throughout this past year to make our community, and world, a better place. YLIA leaders inspire others to dream more, learn more and do more.”
YLIA, the first youth group to receive the prestigious Governor’s Cup, is an initiative of The Community Foundation of Macon County and Rotary Club No. 180 of Decatur. The youth-led group seeks to bring positive change to Macon County through its numerous service projects. YLIA was named one of four finalists for the Governor’s Cup in late March and competed in virtual judging finals on April 12. The other Illinois finalists were The Hope Center of Albion and the villages of Barrington and Flossmoor.
YLIA members include more than 100 sophomore, junior, and senior high school students from all 11 Macon County high schools and homeschooled students. Their facilitator, Dr. Jarmese Sherrod, has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, mentoring, and empowering young people. “This is an epic moment for youth empowerment engagement for all Macon county high school’s young leaders in action. We selflessly served and put the needs of our community first. And today we were celebrated for that accomplishment. It shows that if we put faith and trust in the hands of our future leaders, that the outcome will be limitless,” Sherrod says.
Since last June, YLIA members have responded strongly to the escalation in community needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. From June to December, the group led and hosted 16 socially distanced Be the Change service projects, with members contributing more than 1,100 total volunteer hours to impactful community events, including distributing food boxes to a total of 1,300 local families in June, August, and October.
