The City of Chicago announced the winners of the 2022 Mayor’s Medal of Honor. The Mayor’s Medal of Honor is an annual award presented by the Mayor to honorees who have demonstrated a passionate commitment to public service, to uplifting residents of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods, and to bettering the lives of all who reside in the city.  This year’s event is hosted in partnership with the Clayco and The One Chicago Fund.  This year’s Mayor’s Medal of Honor awardees include a few of the following:   

• Cecile De Mello, Executive Director, Teamwork Englewood – As a founding member of Mayor Lightfoot’s Community Safety Coordination Center Launch Committee, Cecile organized City and community resources to improve streetscapes and vacant lots as a violence prevention strategy. 

• Karina Ayala-Bermejo, CEO, Instituto del Progreso Latino – Karina is Chair of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations New Americans Advisory Council. In 2021, Karina advocated for immigrant communities by standing up for the welcoming city ordinance amendments, hosting naturalization workshops, supporting Afghan refugees, organizing vaccine outreach, and facilitating food drives. 

• Lakeview Pantry is one of Chicago’s largest and longest operating food pantries. In 2021 they served 4,000,000 meals across the city and expanded their focus on wraparound mental wellness services, including providing 1600 mental wellness sessions with licensed clinicians and social workers. 

• ENLACE and New Life Centers are leaders in the Violence Prevention Collaborative, which includes 25 member organizations working to comprehensively address community violence, domestic violence, and the built environment.  In 2021, ENLACE and New Life Centers were active in violence interruption, youth advocacy, and community support for the Little Village neighborhood.