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Two honored for community service
Submitted by Staff on Fri, 04/17/2009 - 9:31am.
Deidre Wesley and the Rev. Ensign Leininger have been selected by
Morgan Park United Methodist Church as honorees for its 10th Annual
Community Service Awards Banquet on Sunday evening, May 3. This event honors local residents who have given unusual efforts to good causes, and the community is invited to join in recognizing them.
The church is located on Longwood Drive at 110th Place.
Deidre served as project director for Rush Hospital's local Women In
the Southside Health Project (WISH) from its inception, and for the next 13 years She now works with the Department of Nursing Education at Rush.
She is known as an advocate for public school education, and as
president of the Morgan Park High School Local School Council, she provided strong leadership as head of the search committee for a new principal and continued to serve during the transition period as Dr. Beryl Shingles became MPHS principal. Earlier, she had been closely involved in the PTAs of both Clissold School and Keller Gifted Center, while her children, Langston and Dainya were students.
Rev. Leininger and his late wife Gladys served for 20 years as
Presbyterian missionaries to the Philippines, eventually settling in Morgan Park after retirement. They quickly became part of Morgan Park Presbyterian Church when he served as interim pastor. This led them into activities and ministries of the Protestant Cluster of Churches.
As homelessness became a social concern, the Leiningers - and especially Gladys - urged the Cluster to not merely discuss the issue, but to take action and do something. With their guidance, New Neighbors was established as a ministry to provide housing assistance, home furnishings and financial and job counseling to one single mother at a time. It continues today under the Community of Churches.
Ensign has quietly continued to use his talents in many other ways, including singing in the annual Beverly/Morgan Park Community (of Churches)Choir concert.
Rev, Leininger also is credited as a strong force in developing local
participation in the Christmas International House program eight years ago. Foreign students attending universities throughout the U.S. are invited to choose a city where they will join host families during the Christmas break.
The celebration evening will begin with a reception and silent auction at 5 p.m. followed by a catered dinner and the recognition celebration.
Reservations are required. The cost is $40 per person, which can be sent to MPUMC, 11030 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, 60643. To place a congratulatory ad in the banquet program, or for other information, call Pat Hawkins at (773) 239-6612 or Laura Parker at (708) 805-2657.
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