3-30-2023 4:24am

Winners Named in Boyertown Citizen of the Year Competition; Tickets Available Now

Lesley Misko Editor

Long time resident Tom McHugh has been named the 69th Boyertown Citizen of the Year and will be honored at a ceremony April 15. Also receiving recognition will be Mentor of the Year, Dr. Tina Schrode-Fries; First Responder of The Year, Katie Groff; and Senior Student of the Year, Nicole Stout.

“The winners are those who best exemplify the support and volunteerism imperative to our community’s daily operation, those who have gone above and beyond in our community,” declares Mark Malizzi, event committee member and former award recipient, commenting on this year’s winners.

“It is not the person with the most nominations who wins,” continues Malizzi. “The decision about which nominee is chosen is based on the impact they have made in their category, based on the information provided and in the nomination letter.”

Originally created by the Boyertown Jaycees, responsibility for this annual community tradition was later taken on by The Boyertown Times, and then passed on to the Lions and Rotary Clubs. Committee chairman Roger Lehmann, who was also the 2016 Citizen of the Year, explains that around the 60th or 61st year, these community service groups were confronting dwindling membership numbers and the continuation of the event was in jeopardy.

“A group of us who were former recipients of this honor agreed we just could not let this fall by the wayside so we decided to work together to keep it going, and since then, it has been driven by past recipients,” Lehmann says with pride, adding, “We would love to see it continue because it speaks to Boyertown as a community, a community that cares and feels pride in who it is.”

Lehmann also shares that those now organizing the event have made some changes in the process. One or two sentence nominations are not seriously considered. Heartfelt letters that demonstrate real knowledge of the person being nominated and offer evidence of their qualities are what the committee is seeking. They do not want this to be simply a popularity contest.

Committee members work hard to fund the event, including making personal monetary contributions. Operating expenses must be met, and beyond that, the Citizen of the Year selects a charitable group as the recipient of a monetary award the size of which depends on how much money is available. Revenue is derived from tickets sold for the event, and donations from local civic groups. A number of local businesses contribute merchandise, services, and cash. Advertising is limited to social media to keep cost down. Donations are always welcome.

The gala, scheduled at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, will open its doors at 5 PM and can accommodate 200 attendees. The evening will begin with hors d’oeuvres and time to mingle with the formal program getting underway at 6 PM.

A featured speaker will share comments about McHugh, while other honorees will share some comments of their own about being selected for this honor. It is anticipated that several state government officials will attend, and some are hoping for an alumni band appearance.

Advance tickets can be purchased online for $25; tickets at the door, $30.

The Museum is located at 85 S Walnut St, Boyertown, PA 19512.

For additional information and to nominate someone for next year, look here.

Coming soon: meet the 2023 Awards Recipients.