The Young Marines, a national youth organization, has named the Fox Valley Young Marines of Elgin, Illinois as the Division 5 Unit of the Year, the top honor for units in a ten-state area. This honor was awarded for the unit’s community service, program achievement and dedication to the mission. The unit will now compete with five other units from across the country for the Young Marines top honor, national Division Unit of the Year.
The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through high school graduation. The organization promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members and focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.
“The Fox Valley Young Marines truly deserve this honor,” said Col. William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “Their tireless efforts to serve their community and veterans have clearly made a difference. At a time when there is so much negative social media messaging surrounding our youth and peer pressure targeting them to use drugs, these Young Marines have remained true to their mission. By participating in our program and setting their goals at a high level, they have made an investment in their community and themselves.”
The unit, led by Unit Commander Courtney Gutierrez meets at the Hanover Township Izaak Walton Center & Reserve in Elgin. Division 5 encompasses the states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri.
The Fox Valley Young Marines, active in the community and veterans’ events, has performed thousands of hours of community service including support of the American Legion Post 57, American Legion Riders Club, American Legion Women’s Auxiliary, Marine Corps League Detachment 083 and 1009, Sons of Civil War Veterans and Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, parades, and an Adopt a Highway Clean-up Unit. They partner with the Lions Club to provide a lunch for area veterans, and the adult volunteers receive a yearly service award for their dedication.
“It is an honor for the Fox Valley Young Marines to serve our veterans and our community,” said Unit Commander Gutierrez. “Receiving the Division 5 Unit of the Year award is a great honor for us and for the many hours of service we complete in our community.”
The unit participated in numerous team building exercises that incorporated physical fitness and leadership. Drug Demand Reduction (drug prevention and resistance efforts) and Red Ribbon Week events were a major part of the Fox Valley Young Marines program this past year.
Recipients of numerous awards, the Fox Valley Young Marines are especially proud of:
- two Marine Corps League Commendation Awards
- 2021 Division 5 Unit of the Year
- 2023 Enrique “Kiki” Camarena DEA Award Recipient for Division 5
- A 2023 Fox Valley Young Marine was both the Junior Leadership Honor Grad and Iron Mike Recipient at our Division 5 leadership school
Asked what makes participation in the unit so rewarding, Unit Commander Gutierrez said, “I’ve been blessed with watching the youth in our unit grow into respectful adults, utilizing the skills they have learned from this program to guide their future. The program has given my family and others the opportunity to meet youth and adults from many states across the country. Every Young Marine and Adult Volunteer I have met in this program holds a very special place in my heart. The parents of our Young Marines have unwavering support for everything we do. The knowledge of the trust that they have in us to mentor their children makes it a joy. I am thankful that I have been able to play a role in that for them.”
For more information about the Fox Valley Young Marines: https://youngmarines.org/unit/foxvalley/page
