By Amy Roth –
Dan Dolan, Sr., has known Dennis “Denny” Wiggins since Wiggins was a young boy.
“They don’t make ’em any better,” Dolan said at the recent Kiwanis Club of Aurora’s 44th Annual Service to God & Fellowman award dinner.
“He exemplifies the spirit of giving. He has all his life.”
Wiggins received the award Wednesday, May 23 at Gaslight Manor in front of 150 family members, friends, co-workers, and fellow Kiwanians. A city proclamation declared May 23 as “Denny Wiggins Day.”
Wiggins served as Aurora Township Supervisor for 24 years before taking on the role of executive director of Joseph Corporation (JoCo), a position he held for 10 years prior to a recent retirement. Joseph Corporation was established in 1990 to address affordable housing issues in the Aurora area, to help residents avoid foreclosure, and to revitalize neighborhoods.
Joseph Corporation Board member and 2004 Kiwanis God & Fellowman Award recipient Avis Miller said “the name of the game is to be a community-oriented person, and that’s what Denny is. He never turns you down.
“There’s only a handful of people that fully commit and Denny is one of them.”
Jan (Rausch) Brent grew up in the same neighborhood as Wiggins. “We were both from large families,” she said. There were seven children in her family, and Wiggins had 10 brothers and sisters.
“We would all get out in the street and play kick the can and red light, green light. He was just one of the kids in the neighborhood. But when you come from a big family without a lot (of resources), you realize you have to give back.”
Bob Vaughan, executive director of the Dunham Fund, was a featured speaker in the program.
“I’ve known Denny a long time,” Vaughan said. “We’ve been through a lot together. When he went to Joseph Corporation, they couldn’t make payroll and they had about $100,000 in accounts payable they couldn’t pay. Denny turned it around.”
Joseph Corporation received a two-year, interest-free, $1 Million investment from the Dunham Fund in 2011.
Vaughan added that Wiggins was an “incredible township supervisor before he saved JoCo.”
Kiwanian Father Ray Diesbourg quoted Matthew 22:35-40 to illustrate what the God & Fellowman Award stands for.
“These verses speak to what this award is all about,” Diesbourg said. “The love of God and the love of neighbor. It speaks to what Denny is all about.”
Diesbourg noted that Wiggins has served at Aurora’s St. Mary, St. Joseph and Annunciation Churches, always lending his talent for singing by joining the choir. He auditioned for Lyric Opera of Chicago at age 18.
“He loves God and he loves neighbor,” Diesbourg said. “If you have a God-given gift, you have to use it for God and for neighbor.” He listed some of Wiggins’ God-given attributes, saying he is compassionate, kind, big-hearted and generous with his time, talents, and treasure.”
When Wiggins took the podium, he began by thanking those who are important to him, first mentioning his wife, Cory. Next, with emotion in his voice, he said that he is very proud of his five children.
“I’ve been looking back and trying to figure out how did I get here and where did the time go,” Wiggins said. “I always wanted to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.”
He said his first job, as a barber at a shop owned by Mooseheart graduaate Harry Lee Childress, lasted for 11 years, and he wouldn’t change it for anything. “I learned so much about life during that time,” he said.
When friends asked him to run for Aurora Township supervisor, he said he had no idea what a township supervisor did. But after reading a pamphlet about the job, he learned that it would be a way to help people. “So, I decided to run,” he said. He and his friends met in the barbershop to plan the campaign strategy.
He won and served for 24 years. “I was able to help many people,” he said.
After retiring, he said, he continued to serve the community on boards of various non-profits.
Then came a call from John Curley, president of the Joseph Corporation Board at the time, who wanted him to take the lead at the struggling non-profit.
“There were many challenges, but with the help of so many people in this room, you know who you are, JoCo was able to deliver a viable service to this community,” Wiggins said. “We all know one person can’t accomplish all these things.”
He thanked his family for putting up with the countless hours he was away from home.
He thanked all the dedicated employees he has worked with in the past 45 years, the God & Fellowman Committee, and his fellow Kiwanians.
Rick Guzman, founder of Emmanuel House, which has worked closely with Joseph Corporation for almost 10 years, was a speaker. Both non-profits seek to help people achieve home ownership.
It recently was announced that Emmanuel House and Joseph Corporation would combine, with Guzman becoming the leader of the merged organization, The Neighbor Project.
The Kiwanis Club of Aurora presented a $1,000 check to The Neighbor Project in honor of Wiggins.
Wiggins has been involved with the following non-profits: Aurora Easter Seals, Kiwanis Club of Aurora, Compassion Foundation, YWCA, Breaking Free/Family Support, Fox Valley Park District, Kendall County CASA, Aurora Sports Boosters, St. Joseph Church and School, Phoenix Club girls softball and American Cancer Society.
He served as director and president of the Township Officials of Illinois, was the State Central Committeeman for the 14th Congressional District, and Chairman of the Aurora Township Republican Central Committee.
He has been honored with the Lyle E. Oncken Community Service Award, the Township Officials of Illinois President’s Award for Leadership, Supervisor of the Year, Distinguished Agency Award from Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, Puerto Rican Fraternal Award, Kiwanis International George F. Hixson Award and the Aurora Area Shrine President’s Award.