Kyker named Polo’s Citizen of Year; Maginnis awarded Volunteer of Year

POLO – Kendall Kyker was recognized for consistently going above and beyond to create a positive influence for the city of Polo when he was named the Polo Chamber of Commerce 2024 Citizen of the Year.

Kyker received the award during the Polo chamber’s 57th annual meeting and dinner Wednesday, Sept. 25, at The Polo Room.

“Thank you so much. I did not see that coming,” Kyker said. “I really do care about the citizens of Polo and what goes on in this town.”

Kyker, Polo’s public works director, said he leans on his wife, Jeannie, and City Clerk Sydney Bartelt when things don’t go as planned, despite the hard work put in.

“There are a lot of things that do go correct,” he said. “In my job, yeah, you’ve got your bumps, but there are more highs than there are lows. I really, really appreciate this.”

Chamber Board Director Becky Davis nominated Kyker for the award, which she said he deserves for his consistent showing of civic leadership.

“He lives here, cares for this town, and goes above and beyond his assigned duties every day,” Davis said. “Kendall comes in during off-duty hours to help the city with anything that it may need.”

The city would “definitely be lost” without Kyker, said Joey Kochsmeier, the chamber president and a Polo City Council member.

“[Kyker’s] impact on the Polo community has been profound and enduring, and I believe him to be long overdue for being recognized for all of the hard work that he does, has done and continues to do,” Davis said.

To Kyker, she said, “We see it, and you deserve it. Thank you very much.”

2024 Carole Nettz Volunteer of the Year

Mark Maginnis was named the 2024 Carole Nettz Volunteer of the Year by the Polo Chamber of Commerce.

Maginnis regularly transports Polo residents of all ages to various locations, including to and from school, the food pantry, doctors appointments and more, Polo Area Senior Center Director Kathy Wragg said.

Wragg nominated Maginnis for the award and presented it to him Wednesday evening.

“I’ve had really a lot of great volunteers over the years and still continue to have the best volunteers anywhere, bar none,” Wragg said. “Something I’ve noticed, though, is often the ones that do the most do it very quietly, without expectation of recognition or reward. They will be the first to tell you that, ‘What I do is no big deal. It’s nothing. I enjoy it.’”

Maginnis is no exception to that, she said.

“As far as the transportation goes, about five or six years ago, I saw that there was a need for some kind of transportation because everybody was having trouble getting Ogle County to come out here and pick them up,” Maginnis said. “So I went and bought an old school bus, used that for about six or eight months, and then people kept asking, ‘Well, do you transport wheelchairs?’”

The school bus didn’t have a wheelchair lift, and so he said he went out and bought a bus that did. And, when that bus broke down, he bought another one.

“So, now I do have a wheelchair bus,” Maginnis said. “I use it quite often. We use the bus for the senior center trips. I use my car to take most people shopping and to doctors offices – it costs less in gas.”