Celebrating community: Excalibur, Excelsior Awards return to Rockford region in 2023
The Excalibur and Excelsior Awards for public service will return this year thanks to a new community partnership.
The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, along with the Rockford Register Star and the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE), held a news conference Tuesday to announce a new organizational collaboration, which will allow the annual awards ceremony to return to the Rockford area after a one-year hiatus.
The Excalibur Award, created and launched by the Rockford Register Star in 1971, honors an individual who exemplifies excellence in community service. It was joined by the Excelsior Award, which honors an organization of the same merit, in 1979.
"When I think of the Excalibur Excelsior awards that I attended and covered in the past, I think of those award ceremonies and the presentations and those magical moments that were created, celebrating the people in our community who give back so much that make Rockford such a special place to live, " said Rockford Register Star News Director Corina Curry. "Rockford really deserves those kind of special nights, and the people who give back — they deserve those special nights, too. I'm just so thrilled that this award ceremony is going to be able to come back this year."
Community Foundation Engagement Director Jennifer Smith said, "It is really makes a lot of sense for us to be a part of these awards that celebrate the best and brightest in our region."
More: Gary Anderson, Rockford Symphony Orchestra are 2021 Excalibur and Excelsior award winners
She added, "We are really thrilled to be expanding the way our organization can uplift, support and celebrate the stories of generosity in our community. The Community Foundation has been serving Northern Illinois since 1953. And we do that by connecting the generosity of local donors and organizations to the not-for-profit's who do good work to support our communities."
Pam Clark Reidenbach, executive director of the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence, said nonprofit organizations are the soul of the community.
"Our communities are stronger, healthier and more vibrant," she said, "thanks to the countless people who give back and the organizations and the people they employ who devote their lives to serving our communities day in and day out. A robust nonprofit sector is essential for a strong community. So holding up and recognizing the impact is one way that we can thank individuals and organizations for the significant role that they play in our communities."
Four new awards honoring “Community Champions” from the four counties of our region (Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago) will join the Excalibur and Excelsior awards presentations this year.
Each recipient will receive a cash prize which individual recipients may donate to the charity of their choice and organizational recipients may use to further their mission and support their work.
Nominations will be accepted online starting on Aug. 15 through Oct. 2.
Eligibility, criteria, and selection process details may be found at excaliburexcelsior.com.
Finalists will be honored and the 2023 recipients announced at the 2023 Excalibur and Excelsior Award Ceremony to be held Dec. 14, 2023.
Find full details about the history of the awards, the nomination and selection process and the 2023 Award Ceremony at excelsiorexcalibur.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford area Excalibur and Excelsior Awards to return in 2023
