A familiar name now has a permanent place along Southwest Highway in Palos Park, honoring a man whose decades of service have left a lasting mark on the community.
Palos Park residents, community leaders and supporters gathered Saturday, Oct. 3, to dedicate a portion of Southwest Highway as “Dave Sanders Way,” recognizing David Sanders, the longtime leader of The Center and a familiar presence in the community.
The honorary designation covers Southwest Highway between approximately 12600 and 13100.
Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters joined those gathered for the dedication and said Sanders’ impact reaches far beyond The Center.
“Few people have touched as many lives as Dave Sanders,” Milovich-Walters said. “For decades, he has been the heart of The Center in Palos Park, helping families find connection, healing, opportunity, and hope.”
Milovich-Walters said Sanders’ work helped shape the community itself.
“He didn’t just serve this community—he helped shape it,” she said. “That’s why I asked Senator Bill Cunningham to designate a portion of Southwest Highway as ‘Dave Sanders Way,’ honoring a lifetime of compassion, leadership, and service, and recognizing the extraordinary legacy that Dave and the Sanders family have built for generations to come.”
The Illinois Senate approved Senate Joint Resolution 60, championed by Cunningham, to honor Sanders with the roadway designation.
The dedication came shortly after Sanders announced his retirement from The Center, closing an extraordinary chapter of hands-on leadership.
The Sanders family has been connected to The Center for more than 90 years, helping establish an institution that has become part of the fabric of Palos Park and the southwest suburbs.
The Center was founded in 1932 by the Rev. Paul T. Sanders and his wife, Elizabeth. Their original vision was to create a place of peace, service and spiritual connection. That vision continued through generations, growing into a regional resource serving people throughout Chicagoland.
Today, The Center encompasses about 65 acres on both sides of Southwest Highway.
Its programs reach people at many stages of life. The historic Wayside Chapel provides a place for worship, counseling and reflection. The Children’s Farm offers hands-on agricultural and nature education, while camp programs have served children and teenagers since the 1930s.
The Farm and Nature Discovery School provides early childhood education, while the Log Cabin Center for the Arts offers arts programming for residents of all ages. The Center also provides social services, including recovery programs, support groups and pastoral care.
Through it all, Sanders provided steady leadership while remaining focused on the people who came through The Center’s doors.
The Center’s mission is to give people of all faiths, backgrounds and ages a place to dream, grow and become fully alive physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
That mission has become part of Sanders’ legacy.
His work has reached well beyond Palos Park, touching families, children, young people and adults throughout the region.
The new “Dave Sanders Way” signs now provide a permanent reminder of that work each time someone travels along Southwest Highway.
The designation also recognizes the Sanders family’s longtime connection to The Center and the role the organization has played in providing a place for education, service, reflection and community.
