AAA Chicago Honors School Safety Patrollers of the Year

AURORA, Ill., March 27 -- AAA Chicago and the Chicago Bulls teamed up to honor AAA School Safety Patrollers at the Saturday, March 22 game with the New York Knicks. Eight safety patrollers from Illinois schools were recognized at the pre-game ceremony, along with their families and sponsors.

An honor of the highest regard, the award recognizes the exemplary leadership qualities, safety skills, school involvement and citizenship/volunteerism of the chosen patrol members.

The patrollers honored at this year's celebration included Steven Duenas, Ridge Central School, Chicago Ridge, Ill.; Erica Kempe, St. Mary of the Angels, Chicago; Shelby Kline, Edison School, Stickney, Ill.; Samantha Majewski, South Elementary School, Westmont, Ill.; Sara Matovina, Algonquin Lakes Elementary, Algonquin, Ill.; Sean Ryan, Mark Sheridan Academy, Chicago; Collin Seibert, Old Post Elementary, Oswego, Ill.; Raheem Williams, Yale School, Chicago.

Students who also were named Patroller of the Year but were not able to attend the ceremony included Samuel Yi, Irene H. King Elementary, Romeoville, Ill.; Vincent Colquitt, Lake Shore Catholic Academy, North Chicago, Ill.; Amanda Fuller, St. Edward School, Chicago; Matthew Crowe, Nokomis North Elementary School, Nokomis, Ill.

AAA started the national school safety patrol in 1920. Today, the AAA School Safety Patrol is an organization of 500,000 boys and girls nationwide in 50,000 schools. Many famous Americans have been safety patrollers, including former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Senator John Warner of Virginia, three current members of the U.S. Supreme Court, 21 astronauts and six Olympic gold medallists. The program has a long history of helping young people become leaders by teaching discipline, responsibility and concern for others.

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.

NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution photos of the Patrollers of the Year can be supplied in digital format upon request