Our Community Awardees

Terry Morris Sr. is a native of Chicago, IL, and is the son of Purvis L. Morris, Sr. and Dolly M. Morris.  Terry attended Chicago Public Schools, and graduated from Sullivan High School.  He attended Chicago State University and graduated from Worsham School of Mortuary Science in 1982.

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Terry has been a Licensed Funeral Director for 43 years.  He owns Minor-Morris Funeral Home, Ltd. in Joliet, Illinois, a family-operated business serving Will County and the greater Chicagoland area. He served as Joliet City Councilman for District 5 from April 2011 to April 2023. He has also served on several boards and has supported local organizations in his community.   Terry Sr. and Deidre Morris have been married for 24 years, and together they are the parents of seven children and eight grandchildren.

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Deidre A. Morris is a lifelong resident of Joliet, Illinois, and is the daughter of the late Barney Creal, Sr., and Lola M. Gilmore.

Her deep interest in business and organizational leadership has been shaped by years of academic exploration and hands-on experience in the corporate sector. Through her journey, Deidre has built a skillset focused on operational efficiency, financial structure, and effective team communication.  She now leverages these skills as a key leader in their family-owned business, working in partnership with her husband on its daily operations. 

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Beyond the business, Deidre is a proud board member of the Warren-Sharpe Community Center.  She has made it her mission to empower black-owned churches and small businesses by introducing practical business tools that improve how they manage people, resources, and messaging.  Her impact is felt in the systems she strengthens and the lives she touches.  Her leadership is marked by humility,, clarity and care.

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Leslie Newbon is the Manager of Marketing and Community Relations at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Illinois. Leslie joined Silver Cross in 2013. Silver Cross Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner 11 times, honored with an “A”
Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group 20 times.
She is responsible for maintaining and cultivating community
connections, building new partnerships, developing, and providing ongoing support to diverse cultural and socio-economic communities, leveraging social determinants of health, and advancing health equity through partnerships, education, and outreach programs.

Over the several years, Leslie has worked closely with the Silver Cross Healthy Community Commission, overseeing the grant and scholarship program that supports Health Equity, Education, Workforce Development, and Youth Programs. The Commission has provided more than $3.5 million in grants and scholarships to several local organizations and agencies.

She also administers the Community Benefits Program, identifying and addressing community health
needs and tracking hospital outreach and follow-through efforts. In FY24, the hospital provided $57
million in benefits to the community.

Ms. Newbon played a key role in developing the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council at Silver Cross, which fosters exploring and mitigating disparities and inequities in the workplace.

Since 2013, Leslie has worked with the marketing team at Silver Cross Hospital to win several national and
state advertising and marketing awards for Silver Cross. As a member of several professional and service
organizations, Leslie currently serves on the

• Executive Committee for the Will County Mobilizing for Action through Partnerships and Planning

• Board of Directors Will-Grundy Medical Clinic

• Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations

• Board of Directors for Easter Seals of Will County (past)

She holds an M.B.A. from Lee University. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Amy was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where she also attended school. She worked as a legal assistant in downtown Chicago for 11 years before stepping away from her career to raise her two daughters. In 2006, her family relocated from Chicago to Minooka, and shortly after, in 2007, Amy began working as a caregiver—a role that allowed her to connect with and support many wonderful families.

Her journey in caregiving eventually led her to The Timbers of Shorewood in 2017, where she joined the Activities Department. In 2019, she was promoted to Director of Activities. Amy truly feels at home at The Timbers and finds joy in staying active alongside the residents. She knows each resident by name, takes the time to get to know new ones, and is dedicated to discovering which activities will make them feel most at home.

“I want each resident to know they have a voice, and I am here to listen,” she says—a philosophy that guides her work every day.

State Director Karyn Quick is a distinguished trailblazer and history-maker, proudly serving as the dynamic 18th Illinois State Director of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated — and the first Soror ever elected to this prestigious position. A powerhouse of leadership and service, Soror Quick has left an enduring legacy through her work in numerous elected and appointed roles, including Past Regional Secretary. Her remarkable impact spans three influential regions: the South Central Region, the Mighty Southern Region, and the Great Lakes Region.
 

Her Zeta journey began over 31 years ago at her beloved alma mater, Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Today, she continues to live out the founding principles of Zeta as a dedicated member of Sigma Phi Zeta Chapter in Waukegan, Illinois.  Professionally, State Director Quick is a respected leader in the information technology sector, bringing more than two
decades of expertise to her role as Director of IT Regulatory Compliance at AbbVie Pharmaceuticals. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Jackson State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management.

With her visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and extraordinary commitment to excellence, State Director Quick continues to inspire, empower, and uplift both the sisterhood of Zeta and the broader community she serves.

Silver Cross Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross is nationally recognized for safety, quality, and experience by a number of prestigious ratings organizations. They have been named a 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner 11 times, honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group 20 times, and rated 4 Stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, Silver Cross has been named a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital for 7 years running, and Healthgrades ranked Silver Cross #1 in Illinois in 2024, and
2025. In 2025, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons rated our open-heart surgery program a 3-star program, the highest rating available, placing Silver Cross among the most elite heart surgery
programs in the United States and Canada.
 

With over 4,500 employees, physicians, and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 348-bed acute care hospital and more than a dozen satellite facilities providing outpatient services and
physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In Fiscal Year 2024, Silver Cross provided over $57 million in charity
care and other community benefits. Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These
physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based on their independent medical judgment, and they bill patients separately for their services. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital, visit silvercross.org.

Pastor Cornell Ervins started ministering in 1994, and has been the Pastor of the Mount Ebal Missionary Baptist Church since 2003. He is a husband, a father, and grandfather. He has a Masters in Divinity, loves the Lord, and he has always been faithful, dedicated and committed to the service of God.  He has been involved in activist work and has rallied to bring change and justice to the community. Over the years his church has continued to grow both physically and spiritually. He has started new ministries and has plans to establish more at Mt. Ebal to reach the needs of the people.  For he believes that, "where there is no vision, the people perish" according to Proverbs 29:18a.

Since joining JJC in 1995, Susan has worked diligently to secure meetings and events for the institution. She is honored to provide students with job shadowing opportunities that offer real-world industry experience. Her professional philosophy is guided by three core principles: delivering unique, hands-on experiences for students, meeting the diverse needs and expectations of clients in Will County, and developing innovative concepts for special activities to generate future revenue for the college. With a fulfilling 30-year career, she takes great pride in continuing on this professional path.