Jaycees honor Community service with new award at annual banquet

HAWLEY--The Honesdale Area Jaycees honored a quartet of community-minded individuals at their annual service awards banquet dinner held in November at Settlers Inn. In addition to the traditional three categories of law enforcement officer, educator and first responder of the year, the 2021 Awards Banquet introduced a new category of award, Community Leader of the Year.

"We love honoring our educators, law enforcement officers and our first responders," said Corresponding Secretary and Service Awards Banquet Co Chair Chris Novoa.

"We wanted to have the ability to...recognize other people in the community that might not fit that mold but we know still contribute a lot to our community."

"... the individuals that received the award...expect nothing in return for being themselves, and that is ultimately what this is all about," he continued. "They put themselves out in the community. They see the value in providing service to others and at the end of the day, as I mentioned, they don't expect anything in return for just being themselves. That makes them even more deserving."

Novoa later added, "I believe they need that recognition and to let them know that the community is appreciative, and their work doesn't go unnoticed."

Each of the award recipients is nominated by members of the public for their outstanding community service. They are then reviewed by the Jaycees before the final winners are selected and presented with their awards at the annual banquet.

Community Leader of the Year

The inaugural "Community Leader of the Year" award was given to Kevin Edwards.

"His service to our community in youth sports – volunteering with Honesdale Little Baseball, Missy Softball, Biddy Basketball... – is well known by many of us," Novoa wrote on behalf of the Jaycees via email. "Furthermore, Kevin often volunteers his writing skills out to local organizations to either present or bring awareness of their story to Honesdale.

"Moreover, Jaycees often spot Kevin at our events and countless others across the community. In his own positive and unique style, he seems to constantly seek ways to uplift his community through the power of his words."

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

2021's law enforcement award went to the crime-catching duo of Sheriff Deputy Ron Kominski and his canine companion, Deputy Manfred.

"Ron is best known for his work with Manfred," wrote Novoa, "but, as always, there is much more to his story. A lesser-known fact about him, Ron has been a volunteer firefighter for longer than he has served our community as a law enforcement officer (27 years to 23 years).

"Ron, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s office, the D.A., and the commissioners, brought the first ever K9 unit to Wayne County. This has had a broad and immeasurable impact on our community from assisting in the search and rescue of missing persons, making drug arrests, and searching for and apprehending other criminal suspects. Thanks to Ron and Manfred’s efforts, our community is a far better equipped to handle a broader range of criminal threats to our safety."

Educator of the Year

Christine McClure was chosen as the Jaycees' 2021's educator of the year for her work in Western Wayne School District and other parts of the area.

"As an educator, she does not let her impact end in the classroom setting," wrote Novoa. "Christine remains actively involved in roles where she can continue to serve our community’s youth and help them grow into future leaders. She is well-known to several people in the Jaycees due to her role as a leader in Wayne County 4-H and her work in Endless Mountains Pony club. In both organizations she is an exemplary role model who teaches skills of collaboration, leadership, and sportsmanship to the youth she serves.

"Christine is not simply a career educator; she is an instructor of the life skills with which she has enough experience to teach. Further, she serves as president of the Western Wayne Education Foundation – an organization dedicated to securing funding for non-traditional educational opportunities for students such as science camps and classroom gardens. All of that combined to one outstanding educator that stood out among the rest."

McClure's achievement was likewise honored by the Western Wayne School District during its November Board meeting.

First Responder of the Year

The final award of 2021 went to Cindy Batzel, hailed as First Responder of the Year.

Wrote Novoa, "As a first responder, Cindy truly stuck out for her contributions to the community within, as well as beyond the category’s requirement. Cindy is both a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the White Mills Fire department who holds her emergency vehicle operations certificate. Beyond that, she serves as a volunteer for the Northeast Suicide Prevention Initiative and a trauma informed care instructor. Professionally, Cindy has worked for Wayne County Children and Youth for the last twenty years. Service is the common thread that weaves the rest of her life together.

"We typically get a lot of volunteer first responders nominated, all of whom are deserving simply because they are volunteers. It’s always tough to distinguish the deserving winners in this category, but when the nominees come with additional volunteer work on top of a full-time career dedicated to service, they stick out a bit more."

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Jaycees give community service awards at annual banquet