September 07, 2024
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Geneva officer receives Flame of Hope Award from Special Olympics

Award recognizes officer for 20 years of devoted fundraising

By Brenda Schory
Geneva Police Officer Chuck received the Flame of Hope Award Feb. 2, 2024, during the Illinois Torch Run for Special Olympics kickoff conference in Bloomington. Assistant Torch Run Director Officer Dan McIntyre (left) of the Woodridge Police Department, Torch Run Director Sgt. Bill Devine, Parisi, Parisi's oldest daughter, Special Olympics athlete Sami, back row his younger daughter, Amanda, a special education teacher at Geneva Middle School South, and his wife, Eva.

Geneva Police Officer Chuck received the Flame of Hope Award Feb. 2, 2024, during the Illinois Torch Run for Special Olympics kickoff conference in Bloomington. Assistant Torch Run Director Officer Dan McIntyre (left) of the Woodridge Police Department, Torch Run Director Sgt. Bill Devine, Parisi, Parisi's oldest daughter, Special Olympics athlete Sami, back row his younger daughter, Amanda, a special education teacher at Geneva Middle School South, and his wife, Eva. ( Photo provided by Special Olympics Illinois )

GENEVA – He has jumped into freezing water, sat for hours on a doughnut store’s rooftop, waited tables for tips and hawked raffle tickets for a motorcycle.

Geneva police officer Chuck Parisi did it all to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, taking the lead for the cause since he was hired in 2005.

Parisi pushed the department to raise a record $46,387 for Special Olympics Illinois in 2023, nearly three times higher than average, officials said.

And then it was his turn.

Parisi got the surprise of his life when he was awarded the Flame of Hope Award at the Feb. 2 kickoff for the Illinois Torch Run for Special Olympics in Bloomington.

The award recognized Parisi’s 20 years of volunteer service to Special Olympics Illinois, a nonprofit that serves some 55,000 people with intellectual disabilities in 18 sports.

“It came as a complete surprise to me,” Parisi said at a Feb. 5 Committee of the Whole meeting. “It was one of the best-kept secrets. ... My wife said she had to go into the office that day. And when I got called up, she came in and she was right there, down in Bloomington.”

Parisi said he was blessed to live and work in a good community.

“Truth be told, that award – as nice as it was to receive – really I believe is more a reflection on my department, the people I work with and the effort they put into this program, as well as our leadership in the department and their support of it (and) the support we get from the city,” Parisi said. “I’ve always wanted to thank the residents for their generosity in all these events that we do.”

Special Olympics is held all year round.

“It’s an outlet for those with intellectual disabilities to compete and experience the joy of friendship that they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience,” Parisi said. “My own daughter is an athlete.”

When she was little, she took her sister to soccer practice.

“And one day, she said, ‘Daddy, why can’t Sami play soccer?’ I didn’t know what to say, so I said, ‘ ‘We’re going to get some toys at Target and get some lunch,’” Parisi said

He talked to Sami’s teacher about it and she suggested Special Olympics.

“I had no idea why I hadn’t thought of that. Because I had already raised money for Special Olympics,” Parisi said.

“But once I got my own daughter in it and I saw difference it made in her life and the joy she had to compete and win something and do something on her own and what it did for us as a family – that networking that we got to have with the other parents of special needs children – to see what we are able to do to bring joy to people,” Parisi said.

Supporting Special Olympics also helps keep officers grounded, instead of jaded, when they do this fundraising and see how kind people are, he said.

“I try to bring that to all the new officers and let them know, ‘This is something you need to do. It’s a good thing to do. It helps others and that is what we, as police officers, are about,’” Parisi said. “And it brings us good mental health, especially at a time when it’s more difficult.”

In a news release about the award, Geneva Police Chief Eric Passarelli said, “I am extremely proud of Officer Parisi and all that he has done on behalf of Special Olympics.”

“He regularly motivates the members of our department to become actively involved in supporting this important cause. Through his efforts, the funds raised by our officers for Special Olympics Illinois continue to increase each year,” Passarelli said in the release. “His selfless service makes him an outstanding recipient of the Flame of Hope Award.”

Parisi is no stranger to awards for his devotion to Special Olympics, winning the Top Cop Award six times for raising the most money in the region in the annual Polar Plunge, where participants jump into freezing water.

Parisi partnered with neighboring departments to station Geneva officers at area Dunkin’ stores as part of the Cop on a Rooftop – before the company opened a location in Geneva, according to the release.

He also launched the Geneva Police Department’s Tip A Cop events at local restaurants and coordinated selling Harley Davidson raffle tickets at Swedish Days.

Parisi also continued the department’s Special Olympics fundraising pig roast in memory of former Officer Keith Koza, who passed away from cancer in 2009. Koza was instrumental in creating the pig roast fundraiser.

GenevaKane CountyPoliceSpecial needsIllinoisVolunteer