Sertoma Club Presented 2025 Service to Mankind Award

Springfield, Illinois, 11/17/25, The Sertoma Club of Springfield presented its 2025 Service to Mankind Award on November 17th at noon during an awards ceremony held at MCL Restaurant.  The recipient Don Ecklund, of Springfield, was instrumental in the development of Sangamon County's Habitat for Humanity in 1989. Since then, Mr. Ecklund has coordinated 21 different "Habitat Builds" of new houses for low-income families seeking homes in the county. Currently, Mr. Ecklund is a "Family Advocate" for a new prospective applicant for a Habitat house in 2026. Prior to his retirement from Lincoln Land Community College, Mr. Ecklund served 33 years at a professor of sociology, where he received many prestigious awards.

The Service to Mankind Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to better the lives of those in their community. Sertoma's 2024 Service to Mankind recipient was Yves Douman of Motherland Gardens.