Spirit of Giving Award
Each year, Communities In Schools of Chicago presents the Spirit of Giving Award to both a community partner and a school partner who consistently go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of Chicago public-school students.
Spirit of Giving Award winners largely do this work under the radar – day in and day out – simply because it is the right thing to do. In 2025, the Spirit of Giving Award was presented to:
School Partner
Carolyn Gordon, Guidance Counselor at Anna R. Langford Community Academy
Guidance counselor Carolyn Gordon has been CIS’ point of contact at Langford for eight years. She is conscientious, hardworking, and detail-oriented. During the 2024-25 school year, Ms. Gordon connected 15 programs to serve pre-K through eighth graders, and she averages more than 10 program connections each year.
Ms. Gordon tries out new programs and consistently serves 100% of her students, which demonstrates her work to equitably distribute programs across her school, not just to one particular grade band.
Ms. Gordon also knows how to leverage a team. She has support from the school social worker, her principal, and assistant principal, who regularly attend meetings. Ms. Gordon believes in the value of CIS’ partnership and programming.
Community Partner
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago – Rebecca Fernandez, Public Affairs Specialist
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) protects the health and safety of the public in its service area, protects the quality of the water supply source (Lake Michigan), improves the quality of water in waterways in its service area, protects businesses and homes from flood damages, and manages water as a vital resource.
The MWRD has been a proud partner with CIS of Chicago for eight years. Through participation in community events, classroom presentations, and ongoing CIS training, the MWRD community education team is committed to inspiring Chicagoland students to reach for success.
In the 2024-25 school year, the MWRD served 2,538 students through five unique programs covering a range of STEM and career awareness topics. They also worked to expand their programming capacity by offering virtual options, as well as programs in Spanish and English. Serving students to the best of their ability is top of mind for the staff at the MWRD.
