The Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate of Joliet, Illinois, are pleased to announce the 2011 honorees for the Mother Alfred Moes Award and The Franciscan Heritage Award. Among the honorees are three from the Joliet-area and a Columbus, Ohio, resident. The awards will be presented at the 22nd Annual Franciscan Autumn Feast on Sunday, October 16, 2011, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Ms. Karen Fleshman, a long time resident of Columbus, Ohio, has been named the 2011Mother Alfred Moes Award honoree. Ms. Fleshman has devoted the greater part of her life to caring for the needs of many, just as Mother Alfred, the Congregation’s foundress, did so many years ago. For over 30 years Ms. Fleshman has volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Columbus area. She provides everything from gifts to sick children, to hugs to young parents who are in need of a reassuring smile or an attentive ear.
Ms. Fleshman has served on numerous boards of church and city organizations to help provide recreational programs in a safe setting to people of different backgrounds. She is a member of the Southeast Community Playground Committee and was instrumental in getting companies to sponsor activity days for neighborhood children. Just as Mother Alfred was a woman of vision who turned that vision into service, so has Ms. Fleshman embodied that same spirit of service.
The Joliet Franciscan Sisters will also present two Franciscan Heritage Awards this year. The Franciscan Heritage Award is given to individuals who recognize the needs of their community and use their gifts to respond to these needs. Longtime residents of Joliet, George & Regina Block and Fr. James Lennon will receive these awards.
The Sisters of St. Francis are honored to bestow the Mother Alfred Award and The Heritage Award to these very dedicated and hardworking individuals.
Karen Fleshman, volunteer at Nationwide Children's Hospital