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O’Conor takes home Mae Hall McCabe Award

February 28, 2017

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce awarded its highest honor to a Dewey Beach businessman who has made his name with crab cakes and charity.

The Mae Hall McCabe Award for community service was given to Jimmy O’Conor, owner of Woody’s in Dewey, who presenter Rob Marshall said quietly raises money and awareness of kidney disease while also serving up the best crab cake in the Cape Region.

Marshall said O’Conor has dealt with kidney disease since he was 5 years old, spending years in and out of hospitals on dialysis, surviving multiple transplants.

“Jimmy doesn’t want sympathy for any of this. He just wants us to learn more about kidney disease: what it means to the victims, what it means to the family and loved ones, and what it means to the donors,” Marshall said.

O’Conor credited his charity work to his mother, who encouraged him to give to others as a way of helping onerself. O’Conor has donated money, more than he can count, Marshall said, donating every time he lost someone close to him due to kidney disease. He volunteers with the Kidney Foundation in Baltimore, organizing fundraisers and events. For the last four years, O’Conor has been the treasurer of the Dewey Beach Lions Club and also serves on numerous Dewey town committees.

“If it needs to be done, Jimmy will get it done,” Marshall said.

O’Conor said he had a hard time recognizing himself in the company of other Mae Hall McCabe Award winners, but that he was proud of the honor.

“This award belongs to everybody that rolls up their sleeves and gives their all for events in this town and this area. They say it takes a village, and I’m proud to be able to be a small part of this village. I’m proud,” he said, visibly moved. “I’m very grateful for everything that I’ve been afforded in my life, and I’m a firm believer in paying it forward.”

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