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📸 Credit: Jon Hull, Exchange Club Member
Nine high school seniors from across the Tri-Cities were recognized this spring for pushing through serious personal obstacles to reach graduation — the kind of challenges most of their classmates never had to face.
The Tri Cities Exchange Club hosted its annual ACE Awards breakfast banquet at Riverside Receptions in Geneva, drawing more than 135 attendees including school superintendents, local mayors, business community members, and the families of the honorees.
Here's what to know:
Who was honored: Two seniors each from St. Charles North, Geneva, Batavia, and Mooseheart, and one from St. Charles East received the award. Each was nominated by their school's counseling staff — the same counselors who introduced their nominees at the ceremony and explained why they were selected.
About the award: ACE is a signature program of the Exchange Club that spotlights students who have navigated significant health, family, social, or other hardships during their school years. The award is specifically for students who faced obstacles most of their peers did not, and still made it to graduation.
What honorees received: Each of the nine students took home a $1,000 check, $200 in cash, a $100 gift certificate to Colonial Café, and a custom commemorative plaque.
The Tri Cities Exchange Club also promotes patriotism while supporting child abuse prevention, youth programs, and other community service efforts across the area throughout the year.
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