VIA opens nominations for Citizenship Award
The Village Improvement Association of Rehoboth Beach, a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, is accepting nominations for the VIA’s Fifth Annual Citizenship Award. The VIA, founded in 1909, is a charitable organization working for the improvement of the Rehoboth Beach and Cape Henlopen areas for more than100 years.
The Village Improvement Association Citizenship Award was inaugurated in 2009 during the VIA Centennial Celebration to honor VIA founding women who had the foresight to establish an organization of lasting value dedicated to improving life in the Rehoboth Beach area. Nominations for the award are open to all women over 18 years of age who live within the Cape Henlopen School District. A nominee may be a professional or a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution of lasting value to the community and who personifies the ideals of community service established by the founders of the VIA.
Past recipients of the award include Nancy Martin, 2009, for her tireless work in keeping local residents informed of local government and community issues; Priscilla Smith, 2010, for her volunteer work throughout the community and her leadership of Friends of the Rehoboth Beach Library; Margaret Stortz, 2011, for a lifetime of work supporting those less fortunate, especially those with special needs, her work with the Stockley Center and the VIA Smile Campaign; and Roxanne Nelson, 2012, for founding Reading Opens Doors, a program providing a home library of gently used books to each Habitat for Humanity home in Sussex County.
VIA Past President Gail Shaffer, chair of the Citizenship Award Committee, said, “We have been fortunate to install some of Rehoboth Beach’s top women citizens for this award to date and look forward to adding another woman to this foursome of women who exemplify the traditions and objectives established by the founders of the VIA.”
Signed nominations with examples of the contributions made by the nominee must be received no later than Monday, April 15, and are to be sent to Gail J. Shaffer, 78 Creek Drive, Millsboro, DE 19966, or emailed to gailjshaff@msn.com (Subject: Citizenship Award). Selection will be made by a committee of three VIA past presidents. The award will be presented at the VIA annual May luncheon. Further details concerning the Citizenship Award may be obtained at rehobothbeachvia.org or by calling 302-945-3627.
