Golden Turtle

Home/ Golden Turtle

Why Turtle

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success – Napoleon Hill

When the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles began, the work ahead was both vital and daunting. With a long and difficult path before us, we knew that both persistence and endurance would be needed. The turtle immediately came to mind.

While the turtle is a frequently seen inhabitant in the Fox River corridor, it also is associated with many aspects of the Foundation’s work. Many cultures around the world use the turtle to symbolize soil or water and some, like many Native Americans, associate the turtle with the Earth itself. This symbolism is easy to understand as the turtle is one of the oldest living animals with fossils dating to over 200 million years old. The turtle’s association to water and earth, protection, endurance, determination, and persistence make it a fitting symbol of the foundation.

Golden Turtle Award

The Annual Golden Turtle Award was created to recognize a person, group, or organization that has contributed significantly to the development, preservation, enhancement, and appreciation of the Fox River Corridor of St. Charles.

We hope the award will help raise consciousness of residents that the Fox River serves as one of our community’s greatest resources. We hope to also encourage and recognize those who are committed to maintaining its ecological health as well as those who enhance its usage as a gift of nature.

Rev. Al Patten had the idea and formed the first River Corridor Foundation’s Award Committee. Each year a new award committee will be formed. Winners of the award receive a plaque, a second version of this plaque is on display in the St. Charles Municipal Building and contains the names of the yearly recipients.

Board Meetings

River Corridor Foundation Board meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM at

Baker Community Center
101 South Second Street
St. Charles, IL 60174.

Visitors are encouraged to attend and contribute.

Active River Project Page

Follow progress of this initiative through the Active River Project website. There you can provide input, find out how to participate, and have access to project updates.

Useful Links

Mission Statement

The River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles supports and advocates for projects that will enhance the downtown riverfront environment as a destination for cultural, educational, recreational, and economic opportunities that are accessible to all.

Scroll