(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The city of Chicago is celebrating its passionate public servants with the second annual Mayor's Medal of Honor winners.
Mayor Lightfoot is honoring eight individuals and a total of ten organizations.
Camile Kerr of ChiFresh Kitchen is one of the honorees. She helped formerly incarcerated people earn a living as worker-owners in the co-op which has been providing emergency meals through the Urban Growers Collective.
Many of those being celebrated helped with vaccination efforts, including Phalanx Family Services that hosted drives. Infiniteach, another organization lauded, worked with people with intellectual and physical disabilities, and Southwest Organizing Project which had hundreds of volunteers handing out COVID safety information.
Mayor Lightfoot noted many of this year's winners were key difference makers in Chicago's handling of the pandemic.
"As the City continues to recover from this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and its lingering impacts on residents, it is more important than ever that we highlight those who have supported their neighbors and communities through it all," said Lightfoot
Nick Cave and Bob Faust for their AMENDS exhibit will also be honored. Their work was described as "art with civic responsibility" after the death of George Floyd that aspired to bring people together to talk about race and accountability.
Eli's Cheescake will also be recognized. As part of its commitment to have at least one in ten of its workforce be refugees, the company worked with RefugeeONE to hire Afghans.
A ceremony honoring the winners will be streamed online next Wednesday.
