Every year we donate our photography to the Celebrate Corvallis event, put on by the Corvallis Benton Chamber Coalition. It’s so gratifying to help our community celebrate the wonderful individuals who are doing such amazing work in Corvallis and beyond! This year, local artists were commissioned to make the breathtaking awards that the winners received. We had a great time at the event – it was truly inspiring to hear about each of the nominees and winners.
Left: Future First Citizen winner, Evan Wu. Evan received a $500 scholarship to whatever college he will choose to attend. Evan is an A-student, an excellent pianist and volunteers at local soup kitchens on weekends! Right: Patron of the Arts Winner, Shirley Wirth. Shirley is an artist, teacher, and volunteer at the Corvallis Arts Center.
Left: Junior First Citizen Winner, Michelle Davis. Michelle is a tireless volunteer, even journeying to Ethiopia this past year! Not only that, but she was instrumental in organizing the Celebrate Corvallis Event. Right: Entrepreneur of the Year Winners, Chris Vitello and Paul Nash. Chris and Paul began Ecnow Tech about a year ago – their revolutionary company makes sustainable products that can be composted rather than thrown away.
Left: Robert C. Ingalls Business Person of the Year winner, Nancy Kneisel. Nancy’s the owner of Second Glance and the new Annex – the best consignment stores in town! Right: Senior First Citizen winner, Dr. Ken Johnson. Ken was the Junior First Citizen in 1970, so that tells you how long he’s been contributing to our community. He has provided dental services to low-income children locally and worldwide.
The most prestigious award for Celebrate Corvallis is the First Citizen Award, this year awarded to David Gilbert. David grew up in Corvallis and was taught by his parents at an early age to give back to the community, even helping at Assistance League fundraisers as a child. He is now the development director for Cornerstone Associates, and was at the head of the campaign to build the new Community Outreach Inc. building on Reiman.
The other winners include Fitzpatrick Painting, Inc. (Business of the Year), Metzger Green Build (Good Steward of the Planet), and Love INC of Benton County (Community Organization/Non-profit of the Year). A special, posthumous award was given to Patricia Mulder, for her work as former president of the Chamber.
Events like these make us proud to live and work in Corvallis!
We are soo fortunate to work with Ball again this year to make Celebrate Corvallis a truly great community event. Professional photography has increased the quality of the event dramatically. It’s also a great treat to recognize those who give so much to the community with a high quality portrait. Thank you Holly and all the team over at Ball Studio.
-Mysty Rusk
President
Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition
Thanks, Mysty!