They are volunteers, business people, students, friends and neighbors, but they all have one thing in common ? their commitment to making Oxford a better place through their selfless actions.
In recognition of these individuals, the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce last week named the recipients of its 2004 ‘Community Awards.?
‘Oxford doesn’t have a shortage of individuals and businesses worthy of these awards,? said Chamber President Dale Johnson. ‘It’s a great list of people. And we’re happy to pay homage to those who represent our great community.?
Winners will be honored at a special banquet and ceremony 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at Kalloway’s Restaurant and Pub.
Here are this year’s Community Award winners:
Citizen of the Year
Jan Smith, wife of Jay Smith for 25 years, was named ‘Citizen of the Year? for her tireless involvement and volunteer efforts in the community, the Chamber, school district and her church.
‘I’m very surprised, but honored,? said Smith of her award.
Smith, born and raised in Oxford, was nominated by Chamber member Dianne Offer, owner of Interiors Unlimited.
‘She’s always there,? Offer said. ‘She’s one of those quiet people behind the scenes . . . I can always count on her. She’s always around and always says yes.?
From her ‘instrumental? role in establishing the Groundhog Day pancake breakfasts at Oxford United Methodist Church (her church) to assisting in the organization of the Lake Orion/Oxford Area CROP Walk, Smith is always pitching in somewhere, somehow.
‘Volunteering is a way to show your support, to get to know others and help make an impact on the community,? Smith said.
While her two sons (Kevin, 22, and Travis, 19) were attending Oxford Schools, Smith, herself an OHS graduate, was an active parent participating in groups such as the PTO and Project Graduation.
‘I have strong ties to this community,? she said.
Smith credits her parents, the late Ken and Jean Acheson, former owners of Acheson Jewelers, as being ‘role models? for her in this area.
‘My parents were always involved in the community,? she said. ‘That’s where I get it from.?
Young Person of the Year
Chandler Macocha’s life seems to revolve around one thing ? helping others.
Whether he’s inventing a gadget to aid the disabled or volunteering his assistance in school or church, it’s easy to see why the Oxford Middle School eighth-grader was named ‘Young Person of the Year.?
‘He’s a great kid,? said OMS Assistant Principal Joyce Brasington, who was one of six individuals that nominated Macocha. ‘Caring. Concerned. He does the right thing every day.?
At Lakeville Elementary school, Macocha helped his fellow students as a peer mediator. In scouts, he did several community service projects. In his church, he’s a volunteer helper during Vacation Bible School.
Macocha’s just as helpful in his family, aiding dad in his work as a volunteer baseball coach and recently using his Red Cross-trained first-aid skills to come to his sister’s rescue, when she sustained a deep gash in her forehead
He applied pressure to his sister’s wound for 40 minutes until a doctor could see her at the emergency clinic. ‘He’s our hero,? said mother Lisa Macocha, who also nominated him for the Chamber award.
Macocha said he receives a ‘great sense of reward? from helping others.
But Macocha’s most noted for his invention ? the ‘Wheelchair Backpack Holder,? which enables wheelchair’s backpack to conveniently swivel forward via a hand-operated lever. It’s designed to allow wheelchair-bound individuals easier access to their personal effects.
Macocha invented the device, for which he’s won both regional and national awards, to make life a little easier for a wheelchair-bound former neighbor, who found it difficult to retrieve items from the bag on the back of her chair.
As further reward for his ingenuity and desire to help others, Macocha will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame on May 1.
‘They are inducting him for his foresight to invent something at such a young age that can benefit so many people that may need the extra help. There are over two million people who use wheelchairs in the United States,? according to Lisa Macocha.
New Business of the Year
They say victory has a sweet taste. That’s especially true of the ‘New Business of the Year? award winner ? Achatz Handmade Pie Co.
‘I feel very honored,? said owner Wendy Achatz. ‘I appreciate it. It’s just super.?
The Armada-based business opened a retail store in downtown Oxford in June 2003. It was nominated for the Chamber award by Lisa Bunker and Pat Halleck.
Achatz gives a lot of the credit for the award to the co-managers of the Oxford location ? Frank DeFer and Hillary Yammen.
‘It feels great,? said DeFer of the award. ‘We’re glad we’ve been so welcomed in the community.?
‘It’s a big privilege,? Yammen said. ‘I feel honored.?
Yammen said she enjoys ‘brightening? customers? days with service that’s ‘as sweet as pie? and sometimes a free slice.
Yammen recently helped brighten some days at Oxford High School, Oxford Middle School and Lakeville Elementary. She delivered free slices to all the building secretaries on Administrative Professionals Day last week.
Business Person of the Year
Rick Laidler, a lifelong resident of Oxford, was shocked when he learned he had been selected as this year’s Business Person of the Year.
‘I didn’t think I deserved it because I don’t think I do anything outstanding in the community,? said Laidler. ‘There are so many people who do so much more. I was surprised, but honored.?
Laidler, 55, is a sales representative with Community Insurance. Minus a brief stint while he attended college in Ohio, Laidler has lived in Oxford his entire life. He and his wife of 35 years, Marie, have enjoyed raising their children – Joshua, 26, and Autumn, 24 – and staying active in the community.
In fact, one of the most important areas in Laidler’s life has been his involvement with the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Committee for the past 20 years. For the last 10 of those, he has been elected chair of the committee.
‘I’d do anything for the kids,? laughed Laidler. ‘It started with my kids in parks and rec and just blossomed from there.?
‘I enjoy it because there are so many nice things we do, not only for the kids, but also for the community as a whole.?
Laidler was nominated for the award by Parks and Recreation for his dedication to the department and his role in the Kids Kingdom project. ‘All I did was support the project and Ron through the committee,? said Laidler, ‘and I helped build over the weekend.?
Aside from his work on the parks and rec committee, Laidler has also been active in the Jaycees, the Optimist Club and the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, where he served two terms and was a past president.
‘I want to thank the chamber and those who nominated me,? said Laidler. ‘I appreciate the award very much and am very honored by the recognition.?
Adult Youth Volunteer
There’s only one word to described this year’s Adult Youth Volunteer award winner Robert Martin ? dedication.
‘Robert got on board with Kids Kingdom in 1999,? said Parks and Recreation Director Ron Davis, who nominated Martin, ‘and he never lost sight of the whole project.?
Martin, 56, moved to Oxford with his wife Cathy and their three children – Catherine and Ellen, both 14, and Olivia, 11 – in November of 1996. He became involved with the Kids Kingdom project after seeing an ad in The Oxford Leader.
‘I thought we were building it that weekend,? explained Martin, ‘After I realized this was the first meeting, I knew my role was sticking with the project.?
And sticking with the project is exactly what others have credited Martin for doing.
‘He had the skill to see the vision before it was built,? said Davis. ‘If it wouldn’t have been for Robert, I would have thrown in the towel years before.?
‘I actually nominated Robert and Ron together for Citizen of the Year,? said Becky Paquin with Parks and Recreation. ‘If it hadn’t been for those two, Kids Kingdom would never have come to fruition. They were the driving force behind it all.?
However, Martin doesn’t feel his role was that important, and was amazed to learn he was being recognized for the project.
‘I wondered why,? said Martin. ‘It seems as though I’ve done such a small part that it was incomprehensible to receive any acknowledgment for it. It seems like I did so little for so much.?
‘This was really Ron’s baby. About the only thing I did, and Ron did really, was not give up. If it weren’t for Ron, Kids Kingdom wouldn’t be here.?
Martin also credits all of the volunteers, committee member, village officials and those making donations with the project’s completion.
‘Kids Kingdom came totally from this community and the people in this community,? said Martin. ‘The people of Oxford did it. If they can do that, they can do anything they set their mind to.?
Community Enhancement
The Oxford Chamber of Commerce Community Enhancement Award is about individuals and groups making Oxford a better place to live, a better place to raise children, a better place visually and an overall better community.
And who better to be awarded with this honor than the group of individuals that brought Kids Kingdom to life?
The Kids Kingdom Committee, which actually consisted of 13 different committees incorporating approximately 65 people, brought together a playscape project valued over $500,000. This group of dedicated individuals raised over $130,000 in under 110 days, held numerous fund-raisers to raise the $150,000 project cost and organized a three-day work weekend to construct the playground.
Several of the fund-raisers were fight night at the park, selling t-shirts and sweat shirts, selling memorial bricks and stones and bottle-can drives.
‘What made this committee special was their willingness to take on a project,? said Robert Martin, a committee member, ‘their ability to give more time and effort to a community, and to have a vision and work to see it accomplished.?
The Kids Kingdom Committee was nominated by Beck Paquin, of Parks and Recreation.
‘Kids Kingdom never would have been built without those people,? said Paquin. ‘When everybody said it can’t be built and it’s too much money, these people said it can and it will be.?
‘It was so much fun,? said Kim Kovacic, co-chair for the volunteer committee, ‘there were so many people who volunteered and gave their time. It’s like it wasn’t even work.?
In the end, the Kids Kingdom Committee organized the largest community build of its kind, and helped to construct the third largest playscape in the country.
‘We did this for this kids,? added Kovacic. ‘The most memorable moment… was when all the kids went running onto the playscape screaming and yelling and laughing and having so much fun. I think we were all in tears at that moment.?
Honorary Lifetime Chamber Member
Without Tony Rizzo, Santa Claus would have a difficuly time coming to Oxford every year for the Chamber’s annual Christmas parade.
No, Rizzo is not an elf or a reindeer. He’s not even a Chamber member anymore.
He’s just a guy with a big heart, who loves helping put together the Chamber’s Christmas float (Santa’s sleigh and reindeer) every year.
As a reward for his dedication, the Chamber board decided to make Rizzo an Honorary Lifetime Member.
‘He’s an incredible person,? said Jennifer Duncan, executive director of the Chamber. ‘He had open-heart surgery last year and he still helped out with the parade.?
But Rizzo doesn’t mind. He thinks the parade is a ‘blast.?
‘It’s the most exciting day of my life every year,? he said. ‘It’s so exciting. There’s nothing like parade morning.?
‘Every year it gets bigger and bigger . . . I love the competition (between the parade entries),? Rizzo added.
As for his new Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Chamber, Rizzo, who served on the Chamber Board of Directors from 1998-2000, said, ‘I’m kind of shocked.?
‘It’s a little overwhelming,? he said. ‘I don’t think I do that much. Just work a couple hours a year.?
Although Rizzo hasn’t been an official Chamber member since leaving Kapala Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. a few years ago, Duncan called him a ‘Chamber member at heart.?