About 60 people attended the Jefferson Area Chamber Annual Meeting Thursday night at the Jefferson Elks Lodge.

The main highlight was the announcement of the 2019 Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) Award winner. The recipients were Gary and Shirley Haupert. The duo were instrumental in moving the Action Resource Center (ARC) food pantry to its new location 1006 North Vine Street. They have also devoted time and effort to sponsoring youth mission trips for their local church organization for over 20 years. The ABC Award is given to those who give of their time and talents to better the community.

Both Shirley and Gary expressed their reactions to receiving the award.

Shirley said, “I was so humbled (and) honored that we would have even been considered. I mean, we do what we do because we love doing it, we love helping people.” Gary said, “Very surprised (but) not necessarily looking for it because that isn’t what we do this stuff for. But we’re very pleased and honored to get the award.”

Attendees also received an update on the new high school and career academy project with Greene County School District Superintendent Tim Christensen and Owner’s Representative Sam Harding, the Hauperts also gave a food pantry update, and Chris and Tracy Deal spoke about the upcoming fundraiser with Bringing Opportunity and Optimism to Students and Teachers (BOOST) and the opening of The Forge in Jefferson. The Chamber Board also reviewed the highlights of 2019, as well as the upcoming events and ideas for 2020. 

Chamber Board President Ian Wilkinson described his view for what the Chamber has in store for 2020.

“We’re really excited. We have the momentum going for the Chamber right now. We’ve built some trust with the community. There’s a little surprise that I can’t really go into details about it, but it is on the horizon and if everything works out, 2020 may be the most exciting transition for the Chamber (that) people haven’t seen in a very, very long time.”

The Chamber also recognized membership milestones. Those included Subway, Dr. James Teusch, and State Farm Insurance for 25 years; Greene County Fair Association, Region XII Council of Governments, Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, and Sparky’s One Stop Gas Station for 15 years; and People for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) for 10 years. To hear more about last night’s event as well as other Chamber-related topics, listen to today’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.