Mary Tron of St. Paris was chosen as this year’s Simon Volunteer of the Year by the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and will be honored at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner on Sept. 19.
Tron has been a driving force in serving Champaign County’s senior community for many years as a volunteer with LifeCare Alliance, the Meals-on-Wheels provider in Champaign County. She was instrumental in the creation of the Senior Dining Centers in St Paris, ensuring that seniors who are more mobile can receive hot, nutritious meals at a reduced cost.
In addition to her service to local seniors, she is an active member of the Saint Paris United Methodist Church. She serves in the Free Store, which provides new and used clothing and shoes to children in the community at the beginning of the school year. She helps with the Shoebox Ministry through Samaritan’s Purse, with school kits for the Festival of Caring and with Love Packages, a national program that collects and distributes Bibles and Christian books worldwide. She volunteers at the food pantry at the Saint Paris Federation of Churches and twice a year participates in the Mountain Mission Project, which helps struggling families in rural Kentucky meet basic needs.
“We had several excellent nominations of volunteers this year, so the Chamber board of directors had a difficult decision to make,” said Sara Neer, executive director of the Chamber. “Champaign County is lucky to have so many individuals and organizations that are dedicated to making our community a wonderful place to live, work and play, and the board has chosen an excellent example of this. We are blessed to have Mary in our community, and we are excited to recognize her at our Annual Dinner.”
Annual Chamber dinner
The community is invited to celebrate “100 Years of Commerce” with the Chamber at the Annual Dinner, Meeting, and Business Expo on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m. at the Champaign Aviation Museum. This year’s dinner will coincide with the first Chamber meeting, which was held in September of 1919. Featured at this year’s event will be dinner provided by In Good Taste Catering, Champaign County-produced wines from Dragonfly Vineyard and Wine Cellar and Folck Winery, coffee from Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, and a 100-year anniversary cake from Let’s Eat Cake. Entertainment will include a short film featuring businesses and organizations in operation for 100 years, as well as Dueling Pianos International as the main event.
Limited sponsorships and expo tables are still available. The cost to attend the event is $50 per person, $95 per couple, and $360 for a table of eight. Reservations may be made by emailing [email protected] or by calling 937-653-5764.
