Grand Island Chamber of Commerce: 6 people, 1 business named Citizen of the Year award winners

Toshiba Business Solutions, local businesses sponsor Citizen of the Year

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will honor six individuals and one business on Thursday, April 25, as Citizens of the Year.

In announcing the winners, the chamber said award recipients "have given much of their time and talents in making Grand Island the wonderful community it is today."

Award winners are:


•Educator of the Year - Marty Allen

•Ministry - Rev. Kevin Backus


•Community Service Person of the Year - Beverly Kinney


•Civic Person of the Year - Paul Leuchner

•Performing Arts Award - Jim Watz

•Business of the Year - Wavelengths

•Lifetime Achievement Award - Linda Tufillaro

The awards ceremony will be held at the Holiday Inn Grand Island with WIVB-TV Channel 4 Luke Moretti serving as master of ceremonies.

The chamber also thanked Toshiba Business Solutions for once again showing its support for the Citizen of the Year dinner and awards ceremony. Zaccaria, Citizen of the Year Planning Committee member, thanked Ryan Bopp, an account executive from Toshiba Business Solutions for the company's generous contribution.

The chamber acknowledged SNAP Fitness, First Niagara Bank, Grand Island Optical, and Four Points by Sheraton Hotel for showing their support of this event by contributing a bronze sponsorship. Representatives of the four groups are pictured with Liz Wilbert, chair of the Citizen of the Year Planning Committee: SNAP Fitness Manager Maryanne Fechter; Four Points by Sheraton Hotel's Teresa Costello; First Niagara Bank Branch Manager Mike Samland and Grand Island Optical's Dr. Bill Waldron.

Platinum sponsors to date are the Holiday Inn Grand Island and Niagara Frontier Publications. Silver sponsors to date are Toshiba Business Solutions and Key Bank. Bronze sponsors to date are Aceti's Wine and Spirits, Sam Long Landscaping and Excavating, Liz Wilbert of Realty USA, Creative Leather Concepts and Island Ship Center, McMahon's Family Restaurant, Mr. Best Wrench, Riverside Federal Credit Union, Citizens Bank, SNAP Fitness, First Niagara Bank, Grand Island Optical and Four Points by Sheraton Hotel.