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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.
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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The 2008 Sid Granet award winner
is–