Hall of Fame ceremony honors champions of Junior Achievement

PEORIA (25News Now) - A Peoria City Council member was among four men honored Thursday night as pillars of Junior Achievement, which bills itself as a non-profit organization that inspires and prepares young people for success.

Amber Krycka of 25 News served as emcee for the ceremony that inducted the four into the Central Illinois Business Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame inductees are Jeff Bogdan, owner and CEO of Federal Companies, Randall Schrock, executive vice president of Federal Companies, Doug Stewart, retired regional vice president for PNC Bank, and Sid Ruckriegel, owner of SERVUS, Inc. and Peoria City Council member.

Ruckriegel said he learned some key life lessons early on from Junior Achievement.

“One is that integrity is key to everything you do, and I take that with me on no matter if it’s something like volunteer work, or if its in the classroom, or around the horseshoe,” Ruckriegel said.

Also honored at the induction ceremony was Junior Achievement Volunteer of the Year Adam Lofgren of the Lofgren Lending Group, Flat Branch Home Loans. The Teacher of the Year is Peoria High School’s Holly Duke.

Junior Achievement of Central Illinois says its programs reach more than 16,000 K-12 students in Central Illinois with the help of community volunteers.

The organization brings real-life skills such as tracking monthly expenses, insurance, loans and budgeting to area classrooms from elementary through high school.

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