Williams: 'Tune in' tonight to see DeKalb Chamber's Athena Award ceremony

Fall is here with trees changing color and dried leaves crunching underfoot. October has arrived and it is time for the DeKalb Chamber’s 31st annual Athena Award celebration. The Athena International program was started in Lansing, Michigan, in 1982. The award would go to individuals who excelled in their professions, gave back to their communities and helped raise up other leaders, especially women.

The DeKalb Chamber held its first Athena Award program in 1990. Thank you to our award sponsor, DeKalb Sycamore Chevrolet Buick GMC, for continuing to support this program and help us to honor influential women in our community.

To date, we have 30 Athena Award recipients and 66 Women of Accomplishment honorees (retired individuals who exemplify the Athena role model).

Our 2020 Athena finalists are Tia Anderson, retail manager at Heartland Bank & Trust Co.; Carrie Baldwin, director of nursing at Bethany Rehabilitation & Health Care Center; Lynette Spencer, executive director of Adventure Works; and Cortney Strohacker, executive director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau. You may have seen their pictures and biographies published recently in the Daily Chronicle or have listened to interviews with their nominators on the DeKalb Chamber’s Facebook page. We look forward to celebrating these women leaders for all they have done, and continue to do, for our community.

Just like all of you have had to adapt your daily lives, work schedules, shopping trips, events, etc., this year – we have adapted our Athena Award ceremony. While in-person attendance will only include those necessary for the program, we hope you will join us virtually at 6 p.m. Tuesday on our Facebook page at facebook.com/DeKalbILChamber/. The ceremony will be livestreamed via Facebook Live starting at 6 p.m. Plan to “tune in” when we will be honoring these women and announcing the 2020 Athena Award recipient. The ceremony video will be available after the event on our website and Facebook page.

Congratulations to the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce 2020 Athena Award finalists. You are all an inspiration to those around you and deserving of recognition!

Upcoming events

• 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday – Spooktacular will be held at the Egyptian Theatre. This will be a great chance to show off your costume and take a picture under the Egyptian Theatre marquee sign. Your picture will be entered into our costume contest with prizes for the top vote-getter on Facebook. Each attendee will receive a bag of candy and parents will also receive a special goodie bag too. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the Egyptian Theatre will show the movie “Hocus Pocus.” Limited tickets are available to provide the proper precautions and the movie and popcorn will be provided by T-Mobile, the sponsor of the event.

• Noon Oct. 27 – The DeKalb Chamber along with the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee College and Kishwaukee College will offer the required Sexual Harassment training. Those attending the training will receive a certificate to fulfill the requirement by the state of Illinois. The training is open to everyone.

• Rosalie Williams is the administrative assistant for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.