Big Spring Spirits honored for resilience during pandemic
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TIM WEIGHT/FOR THE EXPRESS
Big Spring Spirits in Bellefonte closed its doors during the shutdown, but began making hand sanitizer, which it distributed to first responders.
BELLEFONTE -- Downtown Bellefonte Inc., an organization which aims to support business growth and community revitalization in Bellefonte, held its second annual award ceremony recently, recognizing the businesses, organizations and individuals that make Bellefonte a great place to live, visit and do business.
Nominations for five different awards -- Volunteer of the Year Award, Business of the Year Award, #LoveBFT Award, Renaissance Award, and the Award for Resilience -- were made by members of the community in the fall.
Nominations were then reviewed by the 2021 Awards Committee, which is composed of stakeholders within and outside of DBI.
"The annual Downtown Bellefonte Inc. Awards are all about celebrating our community: its entrepreneurial spirit, its commitment to history, its dedication to service," said Robbin Degeratu, 2021 DBI Awards Committee Facilitator. "The awards highlight the best of the best, and this year, there were many outstanding nominees -- they didn't make the Award Committee's work easy!
"Taking time to recognize excellence in Bellefonte is important because it gives us a chance to acknowledge the people, businesses, and organizations that go above and beyond in making this a great place to live, work, and play. It shows us that in the face of truly trying times, our community members reached out to support others around them. It reminds everyone in this community of how much we have to be proud of."
The following award recipients were recognized during a virtual ceremony on Facebook Live:
-- Award for Resilience -- Kevin Lloyd, Big Spring Spirits. New for 2021, this award recognizes a local business that stood out in the face of tremendous challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Through creativity, innovation and the ability to quickly and successfully pivot, the Award for Resilience recipient successfully maintained operations during this unprecedented time of uncertainty, while also stepping up to serve the needs of the greater community. This award was open to any Bellefonte business, with preference given to those within the Main Street boundary.
-- Business of the Year Award -- Bonfatto's Italian Market & Corner Cafe. The Downtown Bellefonte, Inc. Business of the Year Award is an annual award recognizing a business within the Main Street boundary for an exemplary year. The award will acknowledge a specific reason or initiative relating to the business itself and/or their impact on the Bellefonte Community. This award is open to any dues-paying business member of the organization; it is not open to members of the Board of Directors, but is open to business owners that may serve on a committee.
-- #LoveBFT Award -- Lori Fisher, Bellefonte Art Museum. The Downtown Bellefonte, Inc. #LoveBFT Award is an annual award recognizing an individual or group for their impact as community champions. The award should acknowledge a specific initiative in which the individual or group was an integral part in that bettered the Bellefonte Community. This award is open to any community member or entity, with preference given to those within the Main Street boundary.
-- Renaissance Award -- Belle Mercantile. The Downtown Bellefonte, Inc. Renaissance Award recognizes an individual or group for their efforts to help revitalize Bellefonte with creativity and dedication within the Main Street boundary. This award should acknowledge a project that aided in the revival, renewed interest in, or revitalization of Bellefonte in one or more of the following ways: historic preservation, economic development, innovation, art, or culture. This award is open to any dues-paying member of Downtown Bellefonte, Inc. including a committee member or director.
-- Volunteer of the Year Award -- Kathy and Phil Breidenbaugh. The Downtown Bellefonte, Inc. Volunteer of the Year Award is an annual award recognizing an individual or group for their exceptional volunteer service to the organization. The award shall be given following consideration of the number of donated hours, specific initiative, or other quantifiable reason for recognition. This award is open to committee members or volunteers for the organization; it is not open to members of the Board of Directors. The award recipient must be a dues-paying member.