It was an evening to pay tribute to outstanding efforts as the 73rd edition of the Summerland Business and Community Excellence Awards was held on Saturday.
The awards were organized by the Summerland Chamber of Economic Development and Tourism.
Lisa Scott of Eco Matters Consulting was named Summerland’s Citizen of the Year.
Since moving to Summerland in 2000, she has been active as a plant biologist, providing education about invasive weeds in the area.
She has also been instrumental in Summerland’s Earth Day event and will be working with Earth Day for a fifth year this April.
This year, Scott has started an environmental club for students at Trout Creek School.
There are 27 students from Grade 1 to Grade 5 taking part.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” she said.
Awards were presented in several categories, although not all recipients were able to attend.
Nominations for the awards, along with a letter for each stating why the recipient had been nominated, were submitted by Summerland residents.
A panel of seven judges from various backgrounds then considered the nominations and made the final decisions.
A total of 37 nominations had been received.
The award winners were:
o Community Cultural Development Award: Sue Gibbs
o Residential Light Up Award: Jim and Yvonne Wheeler
o Rotary Vocational Award: Terry Sedawie
o Arts Appreciation Award: Joan Lansdell
o Home Based Business of the Year: De Long Studio
o Employee of the Year: Wendy Weatherhead
o Retailer of the Year: Edgy Petals
o Agriculture/Viticulture Excellence Award: The Market
o Professional Service Award: Dale Belvedere, Sunshine Valley Home Health Services
o Manufacturer/Industry of the Year: Phillip Young, Northern Fireplace
o Tourism and Hospitality Excellence Award: Madam’s Jewels
o Youth of the Year: Cidnee Vayenvich
o Sports Excellence Award: Allan Mann and Brenda Ingram
o Community Spirit Award: RECOPE
o Volunteer of the Year: John Bubb, Summerland Rotary
o Business Excellence Award: Alder Street Auto Body
o Mayor’s Award of Excellence: Summerland Health Care Auxiliary.