Recently, our friends at the
Illinois Fire Safety Alliance presented JCR with the 2021 Above and Beyond Volunteer Award in the Team category, which is given to volunteer organizations, agencies, educational institutions, government entities, businesses, and informal groups who help advance the mission of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. As a result of the years of facility use for IFSA’s volunteer training, support in so many different areas of Camp “I Am Me,” company-wide volunteerism, and the assistance in fundraising and bringing awareness to the organization, IFSA thought JCR was an ideal candidate to receive this award.

We at JCR are humbled and honored to receive this great honor from the IFSA. Fire safety and volunteerism is so important to us, as we see first hand how fires in homes and business affect people. We are proud to be involved with an organization such as the IFSA, who seeks to help so many in regards to fire safety, burn prevention, and supporting burn survivors.
In addition, some young family members of a JCR staff member were also honored, in the Youth category. The 3 daughters of our champion volunteer and resident do-gooder, Tom Taff – Maddie, Megan & Tegan Taff – all high school students at Mother McCauley in Chicago. They were honored at their school with the 2020 Youth Above & Beyond Volunteer Award from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, which was established to honor individuals and groups for their priceless contributions in volunteerism and service on behalf of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. {last year’s awards were combined with 2021, due to Covid}

These 3 young women, the daughters of a retired Chicago Firefighter, have been following in their father’s footsteps since they were toddlers, and have had such an amazing impact on the IFSA, as well as their own community. They have raised money in various ways all by themselves for the IFSA, and have volunteered in person countless times at the yearly Camp I Am Me.