Elliot Ganet named 2026 Jan Jones Service Award Recipient

Congratulations to Elliot Ganet, our 2026 Golden Apple Foundation Jan Jones Service Award recipient!

Elliot’s connection to Golden Apple Foundation goes back a few years. As a special education teacher at RPS205, he applied for and received grants in 2021 for Beep Baseball and in 2023 for more equipment to give visually impaired students the opportunity to play in inclusive sports with their sighted peers. Elliot clearly cares about students, their ability to overcome challenges and their social-emotional wellbeing. He shares that passion at Rockford Barbell. Elliot left the district in 2024 and is now the paid executive director at Rockford Barbell, which he and other educators founded in 2019. Rockford Barbell’s mission is to empower youth to build resilience, self-regulation and healthy relationships. It is much more than an exercise program. Elliot integrates evidence-based social and emotional learning with physical activity. Classes intentionally build teamwork, communication, self-regulation and resilience. Yoga sessions emphasize centering, self-reflection and self-care. Thanks to Winnebago County Mental Health Board funding, the organization has a full-time trauma therapist on staff. Programs here are all trauma-informed in both content and delivery. Rockford Barbell has expanded its reach by bringing youth weightlifting directly into schools. Offering trauma-informed movement sessions at schools has reduced classroom disruptions and provided teachers with practical tools to help students regulate emotions and re-center. Students return to class better able to focus, communicate and engage cooperatively. As a past teacher, Elliot understands how to differentiate and individualize lessons while still being inclusive. He listens to youth and their families and solicits input from colleagues, educators and clinicians. He is adept at measuring student progress in social and emotional growth. Programs at Rockford Barbell are offered at no charge, reducing disparities in access to mental health supports and social-emotional learning. Rockford Barbell is a safe place for mentoring, goal-planning and relationship building. Elliot targets at-risk youth and partners with many area schools and organizations. His work is changing lives of students, teachers and families across Boone and Winnebago counties.

Golden Apple Foundation applauds Elliot Ganet for his continued support of students, teachers, schools and this community and for his dedication to the physical and mental growth of youth in Boone and Winnebago counties. You’re making a difference that truly betters our community!

Golden Apple Foundation will recognize Elliot for service to education at the Excellence in Education Banquet on April 24, 2026, at the Tebala Event Center.