The International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is in search of someone who has contributed to the community and its people.
Forms are now available to nominate a Borderland resident for the citizen of the year award for their contributions to the community and in the lives of others during the past year. The deadline to nominate someone is April 1.
The citizen of the year is selected from the International Falls area and may or may not be a member of the chamber. The person chosen as citizen of the year will be recognized during the chamber’s annual spring banquet at Lenards in the AmericInn. A date has yet to be set.
Chamber officials stress people should be nominated for their community contributions and who have made a difference in the lives of others during the past year. Nominees must also be aware of the nomination and willing to accept the award, should they receive it.
Faye Whitbeck, chamber president, said nomination forms are available in the organization’s newsletter included in Wednesday’s edition of The Journal, and are also available by emailing the chamber at chamber@intlfalls.org, calling 283-9400, or stopping in the office. The form was also sent to members electronically, Whitbeck said.
“A campaign of letters may be attached to one nomination form, as well,” she added. “But each letter should be personally signed.”
New this year
Instead of awarding recognition to a large and small business, this year the chamber will distribute six Pillar Awards. The awards will honor chamber members that have contributed the highest levels of collective support to the chamber of commerce, according to the chamber’s newsletter.
This year the following business will be recognized with Pillar Awards: Boise Paper, Bremer Bank, Coca Cola Bottling of International Falls, The Journal/North Star Publishing, KGHS/KSDM, and Midcontinent Communications.
“The contributions of the six businesses receiving Pillar Awards are a collective sum of event sponsorships, investment dues and in-kind donations from each of them,” Whitbeck said. “A baseline amount was determined and all six either met or exceed that amount.”
She added that the chamber’s top-contributing members are also “amazing businesses.”
“Honoring them with Pillar Awards allows our community to show appreciation for more than just one small business and one large business as has been done in the past,” she said. “In a community of our size, multiple businesses have already received those awards. Recognition of several businesses helps bring the banquet back to a networking event but it remains a community celebration for the citizen of the year who really makes a difference with personal generosity.”
Whitbeck added, “The chamber is very involved in positive things for the community and the six Pillar Award recipients are vital to the chamber’s community involvement.”
Networking
Whitbeck said she would like to turn the spring award banquet into more of a networking event for the community.
“The chamber offers a summer Business After Hours and a holiday Business After Hours – it’s been a long winter and the annual spring banquet puts businesses and community folks back in touch again amidst a setting that is fresh and beautiful,” she said. “The banquet always feels rejuvenating and hopeful.”
This year’s banquet, she continued, will likely feature Packaging Corporation of America CEO Mark Kowlzan as the guest speaker. In addition, the program will be comprised of awarding the Pillar Awards, the citizen of the year presentation, dinner, cash bar, silent auction and networking. Whitbeck encouraged members of the public to attend.
