Volunteer of the Year

Julie Goldsmith
Skowhegan’s favorite Kiwi Julie Goldsmith, had another great year of service for the chamber in 2009. Her infectious energy and positive attitude fills the chamber office with her spirit and is rewarded in the smiles of those that pass through the door to be greeted by her. Not one to ever do anything halfway, Julie has helped throughout the year with numerous tasks within the office and at special events. She has taken a great workload off of the chamber staff, and still does so today and is always willing to go above and beyond to breathe life into any project. Congratulations on your nomination.

Susan Hoyt-Russell
One of the greatest attributes a volunteer can have is an ability to show up, and over the past six years one would be hard-pressed to know of anyone who has volunteered at more events than Susan Hoyt-Russell. Not only has Susan just completed two consecutive three year terms on the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce’s Board of directors but she has also has been a volunteer at nearly every function or event in Skowhegan for the past six years and before. Her work with the Chamber and the Skowhegan Rotary Club has been extensive. Her willingness to tackle any task from concession stand cook to haunted truck driver at the Hayrides tells you all you need to know about Susan’s positive attitude. Lastly, she has also passed this community spirit down to her son Sebastian who was a Jr. Volunteer of the Year in the past, and clearly was groomed to give back to the community as well. Congratulations on your nomination.

Dan Plante
El Presidente, Dan has taken the reins of the Chamber and is starting his third consecutive year in the top leadership position in the chamber. Living in Pittsfield but giving his heart to working in the Skowhegan region through his work with the EZ to Use Big Book, Dan daily is spreading good news about the chamber throughout the state by communicating directly with business owners. More than that though, Dan takes the position as President very seriously and under his leadership the Chamber has seen numerous successes and much of the recent work that has gained such positive exposure for the Chamber was aided directly by his leadership and hard work. He is ever-present at events and in the office giving selflessly of his time for the greater good. Congratulations on your nomination.

Naomi (Nonie) Schmand
Behind every good man is a strong woman, and Nonie Schmand is a strong woman. Having few connections to the region Naomi got inspired to volunteer through hearing of the fun and exciting events that were happening at the Skowhegan chamber through her significant other Dan Plante. Being the first lady to the President, Nonie has been extremely eager and active in the past year helping out at every event in 2009. In particular her impact was felt with the Haunted Hayrides when she took a week’s vacation from work to spend the time working with the Executive Director setting up the fairgrounds for the Chamber’s largest event. She has been a welcome addition to the Events Committee and many of the fellow volunteers have commented on how much they admire her hard work and ability to work so well in a small group. Congratulations on your nomination.

Gary York
Gary would tell you himself if asked, that he wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into when he started on the Board of Directors three years ago and that he didn’t know if it would be “the right fit” for him. Three years later, it’s difficult to imagine what the Board of Directors would be like without him. Gary is the perfect compliment to everything we do, being a knowledgeable businessman and reasonable everyman. He is opinionated without being offensive and light-hearted without being unprofessional. His character is a driving force for the Chamber reminding us to do things the right way, but to have fun while we do them. In 2009, Gary was extremely influential with the changes to the Chamber office building including our most recent addition the beautiful donated hand-crafted sign above the door. Also Gary was tremendously involved in several of our events most notably Bike Night where he helped lead the Bike parade, advertise the event and be hands-on for it’s entirety. Congratulations on your nomination.

And the winner is Gary York