Shemuel Sanders named Decatur's Citizen of the Year

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Shemuel Sanders has been named the 2022 Citizen of the Year in Decatur.

Sanders is the father of Shemilah Sanders, who was killed in a June 6, 2020 shooting near Decatur's Garfield underpass. He turned his pain into acts of love by organizing the Shemilah Outreach Center in his daughter's memory.

In the program, young men learn life skills through agriculture education and performing community deeds. The center also involves an after-school program where students have a space to do homework.

Recently, the city approved grant funding for the outreach center in order for it to conduct revitalization work in the Johns Hill neighborhood.

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe presented Shemuel Sanders with the Citizen of the Year award Monday afternoon as part of the Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce's Annual Chamber Awards. She thanked him in a speech for “[taking] the most tragic, horrific event in his life and [turning] it into a miracle.”

The mayor applauded Shemuel for “[moving] mountains to make Decatur better, to make our children better, and to make a future possible for children in this community.”