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Sid Granet Awards
Sid Granet was the
Executive Director of the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging from
1975 until his death in 1987. His
philosophy was to Be all you can be. In Sid’s own words, “In
times of great economic stress and community pressure, it's easy for
a social service agency (or individual) to focus on the negative.
Taking these negatives and turning them into positives is the
biggest challenge facing us today. An agency (or individual) must
learn to focus on what can instead of what can't be done.”
The Sid Granet Award
was created in his honor, and are awarded once each year at the the
annual Governor’s Conference on Aging in Chicago.
If you know of a worthy recipient
or group, please send us email by using the link at the bottom of this page.
The 2009 Sid Granet award winner
is–
For Lifetime Achievement -- Janet B. Ellis, Executive
Director (retired), Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.
Janet Ellis began her tenure at Northwestern Illinois Area Agency
on Aging, Rockford, in 1972, while it was still a model project. On
July 1, 1974, the same day that the Area Agency was officially
designated by the Illinois Department on Aging, Janet was appointed
Executive Director. She retired from the Area Agency at the end of
September, 2009. During her career, Janet has been a respected
leader, advocate, and contributor in the development of the Aging
Network in Illinois.
In 1974, with a $35,000 budget, Janet wrote the first nutrition
grant that funded four nutrition sites in Rockford, two of which
remain in operation. In FY 2009, the Area Agency’s funding exceeded
$6,000,000.
In the mid-70’s, SSI was introduced and efforts were made to
identify and enroll eligible individuals. This effort resulted in
the further development of relationships and the establishment of
Information and Assistance sites.
Janet counts as one of her greatest accomplishments the
organization of the local providers throughout the nine counties of
Planning and Service Area 01, laying the groundwork for the Aging
Network.
Always key to Janet’s efforts has been the belief that we can’t
do anything alone. “We need strong relationships with local people,
because locally is where things happen.”
Over the years, Janet participated in many demonstration
projects, served on numerous task forces, and held leadership
positions in several organizations as she continued to work to
develop, expand, and improve aging services in Planning and Service
Area 01 and throughout Illinois. She has been a persistent and
effective advocate for older adults and family caregivers and has
generously shared her wisdom and insight with her colleagues.
The Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging is pleased to
honor Janet B. Ellis with the Sid Granet Aging Network Award for
Lifetime Achievement.
The 2008 Sid Granet award winner
is–
Mike O'Donnell,
Executive Director, East-Central Area Agency on Aging is honored for his many decades
of service to senior adults in
Illinois. Mr. O'Donnell has served on many local, regional, state,
and national committees which determine policy for in-home and
community-based services for older adults.
Mr. O'Donnell served as the President of the
Illinois Association of Area Agencies for many years. He is involved
in advocacy for services for older adults, and serves as a leader in
this endeavor.
Because of his years of dedicated service, Mr.
O'Donnell was chosen as the lone recipient of the 2008 Sid Granet
award which was presented at the Governor's Conference on Aging on
December 12, 2008.
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