It's an honor to be recognized

The Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting Thursday. They gave out several awards there to honor members of the community who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to others and their community in the last year.
I was named the Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year.
It had always been a custom of mine to serve in any way I can for the betterment of this community. I believe this community and this region has many positive things to offer.
Some of the ways in which I serve includes serving as the president of Main Street Portsmouth, which provides services, incentives and collaborative opportunities to promote a healthy economic downtown, while preserving our historic integrity.
I serve as co-president of the Scioto County Habitat For Humanity, which is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing by providing a “hands-up” partnership opportunity for low-income, working families to become self-sufficient homeowners. This is an exciting time for Habitat, because we are in the process of constructing five homes by the end of 2012, thanks to various grants secured by the City of Portsmouth and Scioto County. Typically, we construct one home a year.
I currently sit of the board of directors of the Autism Project of Southern Ohio, a nonprofit group that provides support and education regarding that condition.
For 10 years, I have served as a member of the Board of Directors of Camp Bountiful, a 360-acre campgrounds owned and operated by the Community of Christ. Since I have worked at the newspapers I have spent my alloted vacation time attending Camp Bountiful. For the last three years I have taken a voluntary furlough week to attend a third camp.
On March 13, I became an ordained minister within the Community of Christ. In my role as a priest I have the authority to preform marriages, baptisms, serve communion, preach and a variety of other functions.
Sometimes, I think I could do a lot more in service to the communities. While other times, I cannot wrap my head around the many things that need to be done in a day or a week.
I can tell you, this award came as a big surprise to me. When my name was announced as the recipient of this award, it was a very humbling experience. When I accepted the award I was also asked to give a short speech. I can tell you I do not remember what I said, because I was so overwhelmed.
I thank all of those who were involved in granting me this award. It will be something I will cherish for a lifetime.