By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Mike Jones, President of Western Ave. Community Center has been named the 2021 Everyday Hero Award winner.

The award, sponsored by the McLean County Republicans, honors a community member who best serves the need of a non-profit in the Twin Cities.

“We received our nominations (and) our select committee went through and read all of the nominations and decided that Mike Jones, who is President of the Western Avenue Community Center; exemplifies everything that we believe that volunteers should be doing in our community,” said Connie Beard, Chairman of the McLean County Republican Party.

The award includes a $500 check to Western Avenue Community Center, which provides support from food to families to programs for Hispanic, youth, and senior citizen groups.

“We are excited to support the good work they are doing over there and to recognize one of their top volunteers in Mike Jones,” added Beard. “His years of dedication to just the program as a whole and then among the things were presented to us in the nomination packet were letters of reference giving testimony to his hard work in fundraising, to his not his just helping to keep Western Avenue Community Center afloat.

“Which many in the community realize that with COVID and everything going on this last year they along with other organizations have taken a real hit financially. Mike worked just beyond what a normal volunteer would do in helping to keep Western Avenue financially solid and able to continue its mission.”

The award and grant check will be presented on Friday, April 30 at the 2021 Lincoln Reagan Dinner at the Doubletree Hotel.

The public is invited to attend, and tickets are available online at www.McLeanCuontyRepublicans.org.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].