CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry recently announced this year’s winners honored at the Annual Awards Dinner.

If you visit Clarion Free Library, take a moment to stop by the Children’s Library and congratulate “Miss Jean” Smith (pictured above), our 2017 Citizen of the Year.

She took the Children’s Librarian position 23 years ago, and she has been a positive role model in the Children’s Library ever since. Welcoming generations of children and introducing them to books and learning, she has been recognized for her work with children by the RiverView Intermediate Unit, Clarion County’s Promise, and Jefferson-Clarion Headstart.

Additionally, she has partnered with numerous university groups to do special programs and events for children. Her dedication to the children is evidenced by the fact that she keeps adding programs to her daily schedule on a regular basis, such as the playgroups for young children, after-school programs, preschool story time, game nights and other fun activities for teens. In fact, she has been implementing 11 or 12 programs in four days for the past year.

She also inspires others to volunteer at the library. Her commitment to the children of the county doesn’t end at the library. She organizes field trips for children. She visits and reads to children at the local daycares, head start, the Clarion Hospital and the preschool at the First Presbyterian Church. She travels to the local schools and brings her programs there on a regular basis. She is the volunteer librarian at the Immaculate Conception School, has mentored library science interns and has given guest lectures on children’s librarianship at Clarion University.

This year’s recipient also teaches Sunday School at the First Baptist Church, is the secretary to the parish deacon, is president of Head Start, runs a clothing ministry at her church, participates in children’s sermons for her church, helps with service projects at the church, and sings in the church choir.

The Business of the Year – Economic Development Award was presented to Clarion Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM (pictured above). They took two already existing and thriving businesses, combined them, relocated them, renovated and expanded them into one much larger, more convenient location, greatly increasing their need for additional employees.

The Business of the Year – Community Service Award was presented to Clarion Rotary (pictured above). The organization was chartered here in Clarion in 1961 and currently has 58 active members. There is no paid staff. Volunteers of the club take committee positions and help with projects throughout the year. They are made up of massage therapists, business executives, radio station owners, bank branch managers, optometrists, business managers, retail business owners, insurance agents, executive directors and more, all of whom tirelessly give their time and talents to help the community and beyond. Any money they raise goes directly back to the community and their programs directly benefit the people of Clarion County.

This year’s Volunteer of the Year Award recipient is Jeff Sharrar. This recipient volunteers every year with many aspects of the Autumn Leaf Festival and is always willing to lend a hand when needed.

Whether it is helping to paint the boards for the Clarion Psychiatric Center Cornhole tournament, delivering festival tumblers to businesses, helping move food concession trailers in on move-in day, help marking the streets at 1:30 in the morning for the Kronospan, USA Farmers & Crafters Day, helping with line-up for the Clarion Hospital Tournament of Leaves Parade as well as driving VIP’s in the parade, or hauling items to various events throughout the week, we at the Chamber can count on this individual event after event, year after year.

Besides the festival, you will see him as a bartender at the Annual Awards Dinner, helping with the set-up of tents and serving as a porter service volunteer during the Clarion Wine Walk or helping with set-up for the I Love Clarion celebration. He has also done construction for the Chamber including building storage shelves for the storage area and putting together furniture. His volunteerism doesn’t end with the Chamber or the festival, however. He has been incredibly active with the Clarion Moose Lodge #101 and is also a member of the Moose Legion where he served as Sergeant of Arms. He has also received his Fellowship Degree from Moose Lodge International, and he volunteers for the fundraising efforts ranging from cooking fish dinners to helping to install bathrooms. He is also a member of the Ross McGinnis VFW Post #2145 where he also frequently volunteers with fundraising efforts. He has also volunteered on many occasions at the Sligo Presbyterian Church, helping with several construction efforts.

The Lifetime Achievement Award winner this year is Elaine Moore. She received her Library Science and English dual undergraduate degree from Clarion State College in 1964 where she was a member of Sigma, Sigma, Sigma Sorority and the Outdoor Club. She then received her M.S. Library Science Certificate in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She accomplished all of these achievements while she and her husband raised their two children. She was employed at Clarion University as an Academic Librarian and gave back to her sorority by serving as an advisor and helping with floats for homecoming. She worked part-time at the Wellness Health Center and retired in 1998.

This recipient has been a very visible and active supporter of our community all of her life. She served on the Clarion Borough Council as well as a past Mayor of Clarion. She is EMT Certified, has served as Treasurer for Clarion County Special Olympics for three years, served as Treasurer for the Women of the Moose for three years where she suggested and helped build a float for the ALF parade. She served as Representative for the Borough’s 2nd voting precinct for the Clarion County Republican Committee.

She served as a Thursday night usher at the Sawmill Theatre in Cook Forest for eleven years and as the lector at the Immaculate Conception Church where she also participated in the church’s funeral team. She is a Charter Member of the Catholic Daughters Organization.

In her spare time, our recipient has taken classes in genealogy, historical writing, ceramics, sweatshirt painting, and knitting as well as basket weaving and astrology. She has tirelessly given her time and talents to the community and to her family for her entire life.