Rock Island Today

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently honored Kewanee and its Step Ladder Tutoring Program as one of four finalists for the Governor’s Hometown Awards at a recent ceremony in Springfield.

“At the heart of every hometown is a group of dedicated volunteers who make their community a better place for every resident,” Rauner said in a release. “These projects highlight the incredible kindness of Illinoisans from across the state and the power of neighborly acts of service.”

The Step Ladder Tutoring Program is run by the Sunshine Community Services Center and works with special needs and borderline and struggling students in middle school during a time in their lives they are most likely to benefit from increased personal help, the center’s website said.

“In reviewing the Governor’s Hometown Award applications, it has re-confirmed for me that the citizens of Illinois continue to give back to their communities in remarkable and innovative ways,” Serve Illinois Commission  Chairman Jeff Turnbull said at the ceremony, according to release from Rauner's office. “The applicants have shown that when people give back to their communities through volunteering, cities become stronger, neighborhoods become safer, and people become better because of it.”