COMMUNITY AWARDS ANNOUNCED

COMMUNITY AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Rising Sun, Indiana, March 17, 2008 — The Rising Sun - Ohio County Chamber of Commerce and Historic Downtown Rising Sun are pleased to announce the recipients of the annual Chamber Recognition Awards.

Bobby Joe Keith is the 2007 Citizen of the Year. This award is given to identify, honor and reinforce the activities of exceptional caring citizens whose service or performance positively contributes to the quality of life in Rising Sun and Ohio County. Bobby Joe is an active volunteer in Rising Sun and Ohio County. He has served as a active member of several boards including the Indiana Assessor Association and the Rising Sun Cemetery Association. He is active in the Rising Sun Church of Christ and teaches Sunday School. He his Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party and has served as Ohio County Assessor for over 40 years.

The Chamber of Commerce bestowed this honor because they believe Bobby Joe’s leadership is a positive force and his caring for the community has been exemplary. Bobby Joe is a quiet man with a kind smile who is always ready to give a helping hand.

The Educator of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has made significant personal and professional contributions to the overall well-being of Ohio County youth as a leader, educator or mentor. This year’s recipient is Janie Eldridge, Director of the Denver Siekman Environmental Park. Janie teaches and provides programs which encourage and prepare our children to be caring and informed citizens about their environment and history. She leads nature hikes, has story times with crafts, and teaches learning tree sessions to third graders. She is a trained instructor for Project Learning Tree, The National Wildlife Federation, The American Red Cross, and adjunct instructor at Ivy Tech. Janie is a member of the Park Board, Citizens for a Drug Free Committee and is on the Organization Committee for Historic Downtown.

Her sincerity, generosity, and passion allows her to take every opportunity she can to do improve the well-being of Ohio County Youth.

The 2007 Business Person of the Year is Dan Beyer of Beyer’s Pharmacy. This award recognizes the significant contributions of an individual to the economic vitality of the Rising Sun and Ohio County community. Dan operates an anchor business on Main Street with dependable hours of business. Dan is soft spoken and a hard worker and willingly deals with insurance companies and physician office staff. He show unending concern and patience with his customers. In his capacity as a small town Pharmacist, he has probably helped every family in town dispensing advice along with medicine. He serves as a role model for other businesses and has an established reputation for being an ethical businessperson.

The award winners will be presented plaques in honor of their achievements and will be recognized at the Preservation Day dinner to be held on May 16, 2008 at the newly remodeled Heritage Hall on Main Street. Tickets for the event are available at the Historic Downtown Rising Sun office. Please call 438-3130 or 438-2750 to RSVP for dinner reservations.

The Rising Sun - Ohio County Chamber of Commerce is associated with Rising Sun’s Historic Downtown Program and represents Ohio County's diverse, dynamic business community. The Chamber is working to maintain a healthy economy by bringing business and industry to the area, helping established firms grow and building the community through outreach and service. For additional information, Contact: Chamber President, Lane Siekman at (812) 438-4072