Eddy Award winners are announced

The 24th annual Eddy Awards ceremony is set for 5:30-8:30 p.m., Friday, April 28, at the Rock Island Holiday Inn, 226 17th St., Suite 100.

The fundraiser event, presented by River Action, will include an awards ceremony, a social hour, silent auction, cash bar, and a plated dinner beginning at 7 p.m. (For ticket information, visit the River Action website.) 

The event is part of River Action’s Fish & Fire Friendraiser.

River Action leaders on Monday, April 24, announced the individuals and groups who will be honored during the ceremony. They include: 

• Laura McCreery will receive the Education Award for her work at Davenport North High School in hosting an environmental film, climate education, and hands-on conservation work at the school and in the community.
• Greg Smith will receive the Design Award for development and installation of a water treatment resource in a village in Kenya that he worked on with his Davenport West High School students.
• The River Activity Award will go to Chris Boar and Keep Muscatine Beautiful for the many fundraising and community events, Almost Thursday Fests held from May to September on the Muscatine riverfront.
• The Stewardship Award will go to Jeff Craver, Rock Island Forest Preserve, for the purchase and rebirth of 172 acres in East Moline turning farmland into pollinator habitat.
• A Special Recognition Award will go to Molly Newell, EnviroNet, for brownfield cleanups and an historic building renovation on the river.
• Mark Schweibert, former mayor of Rock Island, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for championing the environment over 20 years of public service and philanthropy.
• A Special Recognition Award will go to Ed Choate, retired LeClaire city administrator, for the revival of LeClaire’s gateways, Cody Road, tourism and riverfront.
• Brian Dockery, RiverStone Group, will receive the Revitalization Award for the company’s two donated properties – 500 acres on the Rock River and Mississippi River to Rock Island, and the gift of an office building in downtown Moline to Renew Moline for redevelopment. 

For more information on the event, contact Kathy Wine, kwine@riveraction.org.