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Best Neighbor Award – Mario and Cathy Corona

Mario and Cathy Corona provided an oasis for families with young children during the pandemic. Both retired schoolteachers with three grown daughters, they established an outlet where kids could use their imaginations and foster creativity, supplementing the remote online school offered this year.

Initially, Mario created a fairy garden, complete with wooden doors, trucks, and animals for the children to play with as they walked near the base of their parkway tree. Cathy began by writing the alphabet each day with an object that started with that letter. Soon, children and their families within a three-block radius anxiously visited to see what was new. Many friendships were formed. The Coronas drew upon their professional experience to inspire curiosity and bolster faith that people are good and willing to help each other.

Mario has gladly added many trucks and cars based on children's requests and sends them home to be painted. Cathy holds a regular socially distant book club with the kids, providing a semi-private classroom.

The Coronas give freely of themselves, frequently asking what they can do to help, but see the children's excitement and new friendships more as a gift to themselves. Mario and Cathy emit warmth and a sense of calm during an uncertain period which is so appreciated by those they meet. They are truly deserving of the Best Neighbor award!

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Yeulanda Degala

So many residents felt immobilized in the early days of the Illinois Coronavirus shutdown. There was a shared sense of dread about the adversity many in our community would face over the months to come.

Not one to sit and stir for long, Yeulanda Degala and a friend started a Facebook group the night of March 13 without a clear plan, but recognizing something needed to be done to help support vulnerable families in the community.

The "Neighbors Helping Neighbors Arlington Heights" group grew quickly. By the next morning, there were over 200 people and it grew by hundreds each day.

She recognized there were many families in our community who were in truly dire need, having lost their jobs due to COVID -19 and worried about feeding their children. There seemed to be a clear desire in the community to help, but the community needed some guidance.

Yeulanda set bins on the front porch of her Dunton Street house & invited people to drop donations of food, snacks and essentials, simultaneously reaching out to local schools and social workers to coordinate distribution to those in need.

The response from the community was unbelievable and the donations didn't stop. Her husband, two children, pitched in and her home became a staging ground for collection, organization and coordination of ongoing supplies.

Yeulanda's efforts provided food and necessities, as well as joy and hope during this unprecedented time. We are now nearly a year into the pandemic and Yeulanda is still collecting and distributing food to those in need!

The Facebook page, which now has over 2,200 members, has become a way for residents to share stories, seek support, volunteer and donate. The Facebook page is intended to offer a lifeline to everyone impacted by the pandemic from mundane needs to vital services.

With so much out of our control this past year, Yeulanda used her natural ability to connect with and organize people, to provide the community with a sense of purpose. Her efforts served as a bright light in the community for the givers and receivers, which is why she is this year's choice for the Community Spirit Award.