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Jason Callewaert Receives Local Community Service Award
UNION GROVE — Helping others has become a way of life for Jason Callewaert.
The Union Grove native was honored for his years of serving the community in receiving the annual Frank Lamping Community Service Award on Thursday (Sept. 26) at Community State Bank, 1500 Main Street.
Callewaert, 49, is a founding member of “Tee it up Fore Ty,” a nonprofit that supports local families with children facing serious health conditions.
In the past 17 years, the annual golf outing has raised nearly $600,000 and granted almost 40 “Make-A-Wish” requests.
Callewaert accepted the award in front of his family, friends, and members of the community at Thursday’s ceremony. The event included a short video, highlighting Callewaert’s dedication and impact in his hometown.
“Overall, I’m just very honored,” Callewaert said. “It’s important for the community to always be able to help out those around you. It’s what makes the community go around.”
Callewaert is chairman of the Go Frank Go Foundation, a charitable cause created to inspire the next generation of leaders and continue the life of Frank Lamping.
Lamping was a longtime Union Grove resident and community advocate who impacted the lives of many.
“We thought it was very important to use that role model to hopefully encourage others to be a leader and a caring individual much like Frank,” Community State Bank Market President Dave Moyer said.
“(Callewaert) doesn’t do these things to get awards or to get accolades. He does these things because he enjoys serving his community. He enjoys doing good things for others. And that’s what this award is all about.”
Community State Bank awarded $1,000 to Callewaert to donate to a local nonprofit or service organization. The funds were split between the Go Frank Go Foundation and the Union Grove Kiwanis Club.
Callewaert is a key figure in the Union Grove Kiwanis Club and the Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) at Union Grove High School.
He started “Tee it up Fore Ty” when his childhood friend Gary Nelson’s son Ty was diagnosed with leukemia. The inaugural event raised $39,000.
“We thought if we could do this golf outing and raise a few thousand in gas money for them it would be pretty cool,” Callewaert said. “It snowballed into something way more than we could’ve ever anticipated.”
Ty Nelson, 21, beat leukemia and is an active participant in the annual golf outing.
The Frank Lamping Community Service Award is selected by a committee of local community leaders. This year’s committee included: Jeff Kieslich of Ruma Sports; 2023 Frank Lamping Community Service Award winner Gerry Hancock; Steve Kuranz of Oak Ridge Care Center; Beth Maier of Union Grove Lumber; Bobby Katterhagen of Bob’s Mobil and David Pettit of Union Grove High School.
“There’s people that do things because they have to,” Kieslich said. “There’s people that maybe do it because it’s their job. With Jason and some of these other people in our community, they do it because they want to. It would be a great place if more people had that, that just want to do that and give back to their community the way they do.”