An Evanston resident was among more than 20 Illinois residents given awards Monday for community service by the governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Shira Choi was awarded the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work with Heartland Health Outreach in Chicago, where she educated homeless people about their health insurance eligibility under the Affordable Care Act.

An AmeriCorps volunteer, Choi also helped people navigate the HealthCare.gov website to enroll in Medicaid or in insurance marketplaces.

The Heartland Health Outreach, the branch of the Chicago-based nonprofit Heartland Alliance that deals with health care issues, provides health care to medically underserved residents.

Four businesses and 22 other Illinois residents were also presented with Volunteer Service Awards this morning.

“Every day across Illinois, thousands of volunteers donate their time and work hard to help others and build stronger communities,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a news release. “Today we are honoring these individuals who donate their time to make our communities better and set an example for others with their initiative, creativity and energy.”

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