By Diana Kuper
Special to Lake County
News-Sun
Athena Award for her wide
range of good works.
| Named
this year's Athena Award recipient by the Lindenhurst Lake Villa Chamber
of Commerce both pleased and humbled recipient Betty Burns. "It means you have done well as a leader and you are willing to give back to the community," said Burns, 68."I have always tried to help women, especially with affirmative action issues. I fought for equal pay since the 1970s. "Burns has been an active volunteer for dozens of projects and organizations since she was a child. "I was raised to give back. My mother taught us to help other people from day one. I always have, even when I worked full time. We have taught our four daughters the same philosophy and they are all very heavily involved in their churches and communities. "Her work mentoring women began when she was benefits and compensation manager at Amerace/Anchor Coupling Corporation. She determined that the company that employed 1,500 was not in compliance with federal affirmative action laws and initiated a review and rewrite of policy to insure that females and other minorities were hired and promoted fairly. This led to her promotion to the corporate human resources department where she was responsible for rewriting job descriptions and training managers in the proper application of Affirmative Action principles. She also interviewed applicants and was able to persuade many managers to hire females into departments that were all male. She also assisted in union negotiations and was able to ensure that all contracts treated females fairly. According to Lake Villa Mayor Frank Loffredo, village officials nominated Burns for the Athena Award because her professional accomplishments and her volunteer efforts are outstanding. "We actually ran out of room on the application and were not able to list all of the organizations that Betty has helped over the years. Betty tells me that the awards are nice but her most rewarding moments have occurred when she meets other women who are actively engaged in helping others and they thank her for getting them started as a civic volunteer." "I love to see other people benefit from what I have done. That gives me great enjoyment," she said. Betty worked as an executive secretary, manager of benefits and compensation, and personnel manager and retired and became a full- time community activist when her youngest daughter graduated from college in 1995. That same year she and her husband Bill built their retirement home in Lake Villa, moving from Lindenhurst "Lake Villa is a great community and this is where we plan to stay. We have most of our children and grand children close by, and when I am not babysitting we are traveling, or I am involved in one community project or another" She was recently appointed to the new Lake Villa School District 41 accountability task force, created to increase student learning and to build communication between the district and community. "I haven't had school age children in years, so this is my new challenge. I have a lot to learn," said Burns. She also is on the board of the Greater Lake Villa Lindenhurst Fine Arts Council, oversees the annual craft show and helped organize the group's first film festival held in November. Her Athena Award now sits on her fireplace mantle in her living room. "I am proud of that award and what it represents," she said. |