John Wosik accepts the Making Waves Award on behalf of the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club from Brian Fox Ellis at the 2026 Clean Water Celebration at the Peoria Civic Center on April 20th.

By Joyce Blumenshine

The Heart of Illinois Group Sierra Club was one of three recipients of the Making Waves Award given by the Sun Foundation at this year's Clean Water Celebration at the Peoria Civic Center on April 20th. The HOI Group received the award for: 

• Their long-standing work with local citizens to protect our land, air, and water resources
• Their championing of renewable energy
• Their outreach: including 33 years of support of the Sun Foundation Clean Water Celebration! 

The Sun Foundation's Clean Water Celebration brings students to a unique learning experience during April each year to celebrate Earth Day/Month and focus on ‘Water Is Life.’ In recent years, the theme of the HOI Group booth has been "The Impact of Climate Change on Oceans", where the impacts of sea level rise, ocean temperature rise, and increased ocean acidification are covered. Past HOI booth topics have included rain barrels, fracking, and river sedimentation.

Three cheers for volunteers! Take a moment to celebrate and think about water in your life with this great river song by local vocal artist Barry Cloyd.