Elkay Announces 4th Annual Sternberg Philanthropy Award Winners
The prestigious award recognizes one outstanding employee's commitment to giving back with a $5000 cash donation to their favorite charity
DOWNERS GROVE, IL. December 17, 2021 – Elkay is happy to announce the 2021 Sternberg Philanthropy Award winner is Carol Partington, Elkay Corporate Senior Manager of Total Benefits, for her committed support of Sharing Connections Furniture Bank located in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Sharing Connections Furniture Bank aims to bring together community members by enabling families and businesses to furnish hope to families in need through financial support and the opportunity to share their gently used furniture, household items, and clothing. Partington's involvement with the organization began in 2004 and has included countless hours of volunteer service, furnishing and financial donations, and longtime support of the organization's "Women of Hope" fundraising campaign. In the past year, Partington has dedicated more than 250 hours of service to Sharing Connections and has recruited additional community members to dedicate their time and resources towards supporting the organization.
Now in its fourth year, the annual Sternberg Philanthropy Award recognizes Elkay's "extended family" members who consistently go above and beyond in giving back to their community. The extended Elkay family consists of Elkay employees, their immediate family, Elkay representatives, their immediate family, and members of Elkay's founding family.
To qualify for the award, recipients must be an Elkay employee or a member of the extended Elkay family and have donated significant personal time, talent, or funds to a noteworthy cause. Additionally, their efforts must have substantially impacted the nonprofit they served. Winners receive an award and a ceremonial "big check" signifying a $5,000 donation from Elkay to their charity of choice during a formal awards ceremony hosted by company leaders.
This year, Elkay has also chosen two additional winners, Steve Angus, Director of Retail Sales, and Maurice Townsend, Senior Engineer, who each received $500 donations from Elkay to their chosen charities, the Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association (OPALGA+) and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, respectively. OPALGA+ is one of the largest LGBTQ+ membership organizations in Illinois and aims to promote equality and acceptance toward the LGBTQ+ community while also providing a positive community network for members through social activities, civic engagement, and community activism. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated is a historically Black Greek Letter Fraternity, founded upon the principle of achievement for Black collegiate men and actively participates in community services activities within local chapter communities, nationwide and around the globe.
"At Elkay, we recognize the immense impact giving back can have on our communities. The Sternberg Philanthropy Award is just one manifestation of it within our organization," states Elkay President and CEO Ric Phillips. "Each year, the nominees continue to wow Elkay leaders with their hard work and dedication at Elkay and within their communities through their nonprofit commitments. Whether it be by providing their time, skills, or monetary gifts, the Elkay family is committed to giving back to the places we work, live, and play. This award provides them and the organization with another opportunity to do just that in a big way. I hope that this award and the efforts of all our nominees will continue to inspire our people to think big, do more and give back in any way they can in the years ahead."
The award name honors the contributions and impact of the Sternberg family, the second branch of Elkay's founding family, on the company. Bonded by marriage, Paul Sternberg Sr. became an early investor in the company and in-law to the Katz family after his sister married founding family member Louis Katz. His son, Paul Sternberg Jr., joined the company in 1935 and worked his way up to becoming Chairman of the Board over the course of a 50-year career at Elkay. Throughout his career, Paul Sternberg Jr. established a track record of helping others. He steered Elkay to produce many innovative products that aided in people's recovery from various ailments, including polio patients and wounded WWII soldiers.
To apply, extended Elkay family members must submit nomination forms between October and November annually. Applications are then reviewed by a panel of judges, who evaluate the nominee's level of commitment and the impact that their efforts had on the nonprofit organization they served.
About Elkay
Family-owned since 1920, Elkay has been making innovative products and delivering exceptional customer care for almost a century. While proud to be America's No. 1 selling kitchen sink company, Elkay expanded its commercial offerings more than four decades ago and today delivers faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, Smartwell Water Delivery Systems, and the award-winning ezH2O bottle filling stations, in addition to world-class stainless steel and quartz sinks. Our Elkay Interior Systems business is a global leader in designing and building branded retail environments and commercial systems such as stainless-steel products for commercial kitchens for leading international brands in the retail, hospitality, restaurant, and education markets. Like your family, Elkay has values and traditions that endure - like our commitment to sustainability and giving back to our community. Headquartered in the United States in Downers Grove, Illinois, Elkay employs over 2,300 employees worldwide, working from 25 locations across the U.S., China, Europe, and Mexico. For more information, visit www.elkay.com.
About Sharing Connections Furniture Bank
Sharing Connections Furniture Bank brings together community members by enabling families and local businesses to share their gently-used furniture and household items with families in need of assistance. Sharing Connections works closely with referring partner organizations, including domestic violence shelters, housing organizations, food pantries, schools, veteran organizations, and teen parent organizations, who refer clients to the organization after determining the need for beds, cribs, kitchen table and chairs, lamps, and furniture along with other household items to outfit the kitchen and bedrooms. The organization also works with local businesses to receive brand new furniture and beds on a regular basis. Sharing Connections serves the previously homeless, unemployed, and working poor, veterans, victims of domestic violence, immigrants, individuals with mental or physical disabilities, victims of fire, flood, and natural disasters, and other groups in need. For more information, visit https://www.sharingconnections.org/.
About Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association (OPALGA+)
Established in 1989, OPALGA+ is one of the largest LGBTQ+ membership organizations in Illinois and has a diverse membership base that includes women and men of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds from Oak Park, Chicago, and surrounding suburbs. The mission of OPALGA+ is to promote full equality for and positive attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community and provide a positive community family for members through social activities, civic engagement, and community activism. For more information, visit https://opalga.org/.
About Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated is the 2nd oldest existing collegiate historically Black Greek Letter Fraternity and the 1st intercollegiate Fraternity incorporated as a national body. Born in an environment saturated in racism, the Fraternity was established on January 5, 1911, and was founded upon the principle of achievement for Black collegiate men. It remains the only Greek letter organization with its Alpha Chapter on Indiana University’s campus. The Fraternity has more than 125,000 members nationwide with 700 undergraduate and alumni chapters in nearly every state of the United States, and international chapters in Nigeria, South Africa, the West Indies, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, and Japan, and actively participates in community service activities locally, nationwide as well as around the globe.