On Thursday, Sept. 29, the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce will announce its Member of the Year at the 3rd Annual Shining Star Event to be held at Berkleigh Golf Club. In 2015, Berks Encore, represented by LuAnn Oatman, President & CEO, was recognized, and Deborah Berger, Hasch Daal Custom Embroidery, Silk-Screening & Promotional Products, was named the year before.
The online nominations process is open now at www.northeastberkschamber.com through the Shining Star Event portal. Nominee eligibility requires a membership in good standing with the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce and an established business for a minimum of one full year. Criteria for qualifying businesses in these six categories is specified online: Small Business, Mid-Sized Business, Large Business, Nonprofit, Entrepreneur and Advocate. The Entrepreneur and Advocate categories focus on an individual, whereas the remaining four categories focus on the business or nonprofit, itself.
Members of Berks and Schuylkill SCORE will again partner with the Northeast Berks Chamber and form a judging panel to evaluate nominations and determine finalists and winners. Berks and Schuylkill SCORE supports business development in Berks and Schuylkill Counties through free mentoring and low-cost workshops. SCORE has been a member of the Northeast Berks Chamber for more than four years, and the judging panel represents one of several partnership projects.
Early sponsorship support by these chamber members contributes to overall event success. Thanks to Gold Sponsors: Capital Blue Cross, Service Electric Cablevision and Lehigh Valley Health Network; Silver Sponsors: Antanavage Farbiarz, PLLC, Reading Health System and Reading Fightin’ Phils; Entertainment Sponsor: Dream Vacations, Kutztown; Event Sponsors: Scherline & Associates, Tompkins VIST Bank, O’Keefe, Miller & Thielen, P.C., Sher & Associates, P.C., Computer Wizards and Leading Edge Business Consulting; Award Sponsors: Interlace Communications, Elite Business Solutions, LLC, Keystone Villa at Fleetwood, Goodlife Financial Group, Fraser Advanced Information Systems, BrowningDudley and Hasch Daal Custom Embroidery, Silk-Screening & Promotional Items.
Debbie Wanner, Berks County’s own castaway from Season 32 of the popular CBS reality show “SurvivorTM: Kaoh Rong,” will engage and entertain event guests with her firsthand account of many tests of endurance experienced as a CBS SurvivorTM contestant.
Debbie Wanner, a native to Berks County and a graduate of Kutztown University, is a 50 year old fitness enthusiast, optimistic realist and Darwinian Jeffersonian who finds that, “in this often insane world, there is much good, beauty and peace, and I take time to find it.” Debbie is also a Captain in Squadron 811 United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, as well as a Squadron Communication Officer and First Class Hawk Mountain Ranger. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry/Environmental Science and has worked as a Chemist, microelectronics analyst and a scientific writer. She is also a history aficionado, voracious reader and animal rescuer.
On CBS “SurvivorTM: Kaoh Rong,” which aired this past spring, Debbie was a member of the Brains Tribe who lasted nine weeks into the mentally and physically exhausting competition in Cambodia. According to Debbie, “Survivor is a multi-faceted game with more layers than the viewing audience takes into consideration.”
Connecting with community causes is important to many chamber members; thus a nonprofit partner is part of the Shining Star Event. As the 2015 Nonprofit of the Year, Berks Encore becomes the chamber’s beneficial partner for Shining Star Event 2016. At the event, guests will be invited to learn more about Berks Encore, its mission and services and to consider supporting its community programs through volunteerism or financial support at any level of donation. Berks Encore operates six centers in Berks County, and one of them is located in Northeast Berks County.
Berks Encore, Fleetwood, offers a variety of activities for seniors, including intergenerational activities with local children, Bingo, a Fitness Room open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., exercise classes every Monday at 10 a.m., Adult Coloring Class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m., Line Dancing the second and fourth Fridays at 1 p.m., Pinochle every Monday at 1 p.m., Dollar Bingo every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m., Texas Hold ‘Em every Tuesday at 1 p.m., Housie every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Pokeno every Thursday at 10 a.m. For more information about Berks Encore, visit www.berksencore.org.
Reservations are underway, and Early Bird pricingwill expire after July 29. The event runs 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Price includes dinner, entertainment and awards program. The first hour is a cash bar and photo opportunities with Berks County Living magazine.
For more information, contact Lori B. Donofrio-Galley, Executive Director, at 610-683-8860, or e-mail ldg@northeastberkschamber.com.
