At its February 22 meeting, the District 45 Board of Education recognized Sarah O’Donnell of the Tri-Town YMCA and the Villa Park Police Department as two of the District’s valued partners.
With Sarah’s family in attendance at the meeting, District 45 Superintendent Dr. Anthony Palmisano presented Sarah with a certificate of appreciation. Dr. Palmisano expressed the District’s gratefulness for all she has done for the District as CEO at the Tri-Town YMCA.
“Sarah’s work has been very special to us, especially over the past couple of years,” said Dr. Palmisano. “She is one of the most responsive, reliable, intelligent, and articulate people I have worked with.”
Sarah has coordinated many programs for District 45 students and families in recent years. These programs included two adult vaccine clinics, and a summer meal program with close to a million meals served. Additionally, Sarah helped coordinate emergency child care for families, several food drives, backpack and school supply drives, and toiletry drives.
Through Sarah’s efforts, over 2,000 donated new books were distributed to District 45 students. In addition, through holiday meal programs and mobile food pantries, Sarah helped coordinate the distribution of more than 1,200 Thanksgiving meals to District 45 families.
District 45 also welcomed representatives from the Villa Park Police Department, including Chief of Police Michael Rivas, Deputy Chief Daniel McCann, and Sgt. Jose Pagan.
Dr. Palmisano presented them with a certificate of appreciation from District 45 and said our police officers are some of the most important people in our community and so often are not thanked enough for all they do.
“It is important for us to recognize the support we receive from the Villa Park Police Department,” said Dr. Palmisano. “Thank you for being so reliable, so supportive of our students and District.”
The Villa Park Police Department partners with District 45 to provide students with two safety presentations each year, one regarding internet safety and one regarding predators. Dr. Palmisano also recognized the Villa Park Police Department for its immediate response.
“Whenever we have reached out to them, their responsiveness is quick. They give us guidance and wisdom, protect us, and are always there to help serve our students’ needs.”
Thank you, Sarah O’Donnell, and our friends at the Villa Park Police Department. We celebrate you as valued partners of District 45. Thank you for all you have done for our community and our students.