Annual award recognizes outstanding volunteerism to the agency
JOLIET – At its annual corporate meeting, United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services honored Sue Treharne with the Melvin J. Larson award in recognition of her continued service to the agency.
“It is such an honor to be recognized for doing something that you love,” Treharne said. “I have always had an interest in special education and I grew up in this neighborhood, so it has somewhat come full circle.”
The Melvin J. Larson award was created in 1985 to recognize the importance of volunteer service to the agency. Larson founded a local chapter of United Cerebral Palsy in September 1955 with only four families. In 1966, the agency opened its first school dedicated to providing equal educational opportunities to children with developmental disabilities across Will County. The school has grown tremendously over the past 56 years and continues to expand its services across five counties.
“We are truly fortunate to have incredible, long-time volunteers such as Sue Treharne at our agency and services and we are proud to formally honor her for her dedication,” said Mike Hennessy, executive director of UCP-CDS. “Our volunteers are the heart of our agency and we are very thankful for each of them.”
Treharne joined the board in 2013 and is currently serving her third term as chair of the board of directors. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of St. Francis, worked in special education in Joliet School District 86 and Indian Prairie School District 204. In 2013, Treharne joined the board of directors of UCP-CDS. She stepped off the board for a brief period to serve as the school’s interim director and rejoined the board as its director in 2019.
UCP-CDS offers services to children and adults with severe, multiple disabilities including autism, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and orthopedic impairments to residents of Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, and Iroquois counties. For more information, call (815) 744-3500.
Photo ids from right to left: United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services board member Pat Desiderio, 2022 Melvin J. Larson recipient Sue Treharne, and Mike Hennessy, executive director of UCP-CDS. (Photo courtesy of UCP-CDS).
