A Labor of Love: Ocepek recognized by Ottawa Chamber for community efforts

There’s not a doubt this year’s winner of the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Leo Parkerson Award worked hard for it: In the last 30 years, Shelli Ocepek’s Labor of Love has helped repair 918 homes around the Ottawa area.

When Ocepek pitched the idea for Labor of Love to the United Way 30 years ago she was met with rejection.

Ocepek said she was told no because it didn’t fall in line with the typical United Way activities, but she was adamant.

“I said there are so many senior citizens that need help,” Ocepek said. “If nothing else, washing the windows and gutters — and I get told that’s not what the United Way does. So I kept pushing, and I took them all to lunch, and paid for the lunch and said ‘please, can you just think about it.’”

Ocepek was given the Leo Parkerson Award on Thursday during the chamber’s annual dinner at Starved Rock Lodge.

She was then told if she could find a chairman for Labor of Love, thinking it would be impossible to find someone to lead such a large group of volunteers to work on homes, they said she could do it.

Ocepek then went home to her husband, Gary and said “I have a proposal for you.” Gary became the first chairman for Labor of Love’s first 20 years.

Ocepek also helped organize a community food pantry advisory board in 1997 that led to the creation of the Ottawa Community Food Basket, on top of serving on the board for the Easter Seals of Ottawa, the Ottawa Township High School Foundation, the Reddick Mansion, and the United Way of Eastern La Salle County.

“Shelli’s genuine care and concern and care for our community are an inspiration to all of us,” said Chamber Director Jeff Hettrick.

The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce also presented the Ethyl Strong Award for Chamber Ambassador of the Year awarded to Robert Hasty, who couldn’t be in attendance because he attended an awards banquet for his daughter instead.

Hasty is involved with more than just the chamber, despite holding nearly every position it has to offer, according to Rich Crum. He’s also involved with the Starved Rock Marathon and Noon Rotary organizations.

“Every day, he uses social media to share business pages and business posts, encouraging the community to buy, stay and live local,” Crum said. “He sponsors everything from fireworks to football, and as a father, he strives every day to instill in his children the need to give back to his community.”

Tom Justice, a friend of Hasty’s, accepted the award on his behalf.

“Rob is everything that the chamber stands for,” Justice said. “He was our president during the tornado and you may see footage of him standing in the back of a pickup truck, encouraging volunteers and giving interviews during that time. We joke constantly that there’s nothing in Ottawa he hasn’t stuck his face on.”

Justice means this literally: Hasty had his face on his own vehicle for a long time.

The Chairman’s Award, presented by DeWayne Cronkright, was awarded to Pamela Beckett, who he said was integral to bringing the Chamber, Rotary and Ottawa Visitor Center together to work on projects.

Cronkright said she started the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation after retiring, which has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the community.