Defenders' Annual Meeting

Each year in February or March, the Defenders hold a meeting of all members, as required by our bylaws. This is a social gathering as well as a formal meeting, organized around a potluck dinner. Often, a raffle, silent auction, or other fundraiser are a part of the event.

After dinner, an overview of what happened throughout the past year is presented by the Board President or staff. All members present vote on the slate of candidates for the board of directors for the coming two years.

The award ceremony takes place after the meeting. Four awards are presented: The Theta Award (the highest honor given to an individual for environmental service), the Volunteer Award (the award given to a Defenders’ member to recognize superior volunteer efforts), an Organization or Government Award (given to a group that already has an environmental mission but has shown an outstanding effort beyond the normal scope of their activities), and the Lifetime Achievement Award (an award issued to a person who has made a significant impact on the organization and only given if there is someone to honor).

2010 - our 40 year anniversary

On March 13th, Defenders' members gathered for the Annual Meeting and Potluck Supper, celebrating the Defenders' 40th anniversary. The evening began with a social hour - meeting old and new friends, buying raffle tickets, and bidding on the silent auction items. After the feast came the Reverse Raffle, followed by a short meeting to elect the Board of Directors for the coming year. Then the Defenders were pleased to present the following awards:

2009 Theta Award

In recognition of her years of leadership on behalf of the McHenry County environment at many organizations: the Defenders, McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Program and the Lou Marchi Total  Recycling Institute, the Defenders are proud to honor Pat Dieckhoff with the Theta Award – the highest honor we bestow upon an individual or group for environmental service.

Government Award – 2009 

In recognition of the many who worked cooperatively to develop the McHenry Groundwater Protection Action Plan to ensure a safe and sustainable supply of fresh water for current and future generations, the Defenders are proud to honor the McHenry County Groundwater Protection Program Task Force 

2009 Volunteer of the Year

In recognition of her unwavering and successful advocacy for inclusion of the clean water needs of our aquatic ecosystems in the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Plan, the Defenders are proud to honor Lynn Rotunno

Lifetime Achievement Award - 2009

In recognition of the leadership, inspiration and simply the example they have provided to other people who share their love of the Earth, on how to care for it and how to treat their fellow human beings, the Defenders are proud to honor Alice and Bill Howenstine

Watch videos from the meeting HERE.

Five long-time members presented a retrospective of the Defenders' 40 years, followed by a short presentation on the proposed Hackmatack Wildlife Refuge.

Many thanks to everyone who helped out, from set-up to clean-up, from donating items for the raffles to buying tickets, to our speakers and to the Membership Committee for pulling it all together.