Citizens of character honored in Belleville

A celebration honoring the 2021 Citizens of Character Awardees took place Thursday in Belleville.

The BASIC Initiative Board of Directors and awardees gathered at The Weingarten, 1780 East, Illinois Route 15, Belleville.

The winners of the 13th Annual Belleville Citizens of Character Awards for 2021 are:

Sonja Durham, Downtown YMCA

Mark Eckert, former mayor of Belleville

Austin Frazier, Althoff Catholic High School

Wayne Guetterman, District 201

Mary Karban, community volunteer and former educator

Katie Lundy, nonprofit leader

Kathy Mordini, Belleville Mural Project founder

Lisa Quandt, Belleville West High School

Michelle Seneczyn, Belleville East High School

Joe Voss, St. Teresa’s School

Ben Winner, Chik-Fil-A Greenmount Commons

Nominations were gathered from the public to identify community members who help make a positive difference in our community and enhance the quality of life in Belleville. The Citizens of Character Awards and annual dinner were postponed last year, due to COVID-19.

The BASIC Initiative developed out of Belleville’s Community of Character initiative. The organization focuses on building a community of character by offering a variety of opportunities for people to raise the quality of their life by helping to raise the quality of life for others.

BASIC stands for Belleville Achieves Strength in Character. BASIC is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community organization.

Visit www.BASICbelleville.org.