Mark Valentino receives congratulations from the Rev. Heidi M. Weatherford, pastor and executive director of the McKinley Church and Foundation, for his Social Justice Award.

The McKinley Foundation honored Mark J. Valentino, editor and publisher of theGazette, at its inaugural Social Justice Awards celebration in Champaign, IL, on Sept. 26. The foundation is affiliated with McKinley Presbyterian Church in Champaign; both began in 1906. The church was built through the generosity of U.S. Senator William Brown McKinley (R-IL) in honor of his father, a Presbyterian minister. Since then, McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation programs have promoted social justice and community service.

Kathie Spegal, a McKinley elder, told the crowd of approximately 200 that “McKinley always has been an organization that worked for social justice. When our board met to discuss how we can better let the community know what we do, it was decided that the best way was to let people know what others were doing for social justice, too.

“It was not easy to pick winners,” Spegal said. “There were nominations not only from Champaign but from so far away as Chicago and California.”

“There were so many people who deserved recognition,” said State Representative Naomi Jakobson (D-Champaign). Honored were Linda Harmeson of the Wesley Evening Food Pantry in Urbana, IL; the Interfaith in Action organization of Champaign; the Hope Community Health Center of Champaign; Barbara Linder of the Champaign Urbana One-to-One Mentoring Program; Marjorie Perry of Champaign Urbana Books for Prisoners; Rev. Dale Robb, a Presbyterian minister; Jessica Shaw of the Rape Crisis Service at the University of Illinois; Mary Sproat of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access in Champaign; Valentino of the Gazette; and Terrell Young of the Channing-Murray Foundation of Urbana.

The organization chose Valentino because of his publication’s commitment to fighting for the underserved and powerless and to giving a voice to the voiceless and for its ability to build bridges among communities.

“The Gazette staff and I are proud of every journalism award we have won, but we are even prouder of awards that recognize the Gazette’s mission of social justice and fairness,” Valentino said. “This Social Justice Award from the McKinley Foundation confers such recognition, and I am extremely humbled to receive this honor from such a prestigious organization that has been working for social justice for more than a century.”

- William S. Bike