Annual Marco Chamber Gala Honors Locals

The Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated a number of accomplishments and achievements on Friday, January 19th, as 90-plus members and guests came together at the Marco Island Hilton Beach Resort and Spa. 

The celebration included swearing in the 2024 Board of Directors and the Graduation of the Leadership Marco Class of 2023. In addition to those two items, the Chamber announced the Volunteer of the Year and the Citizen of the Year for 2023. Citizens have the opportunity to nominate potential recipients and past honorees of the award, then review the submissions and make their choices.

The 2023 Leadership Marco Class included Terin Badour, Paola DeAza, Christopher Heflin, April Bowden, Brittany Richards, Nikki Popoff, Michael Richards, Derric Stull, Joan Taylor and Mac Toth. Donna Niemczyk, who serves as the Events and Program Manager, continued in her role managing the Leadership Marco program and proudly introduced the class.

When it came time to announce the two awards for Volunteer and Citizen of the Year, everyone in the room fell silent, at least until the announcement was made. The choice for Volunteer of the Year went to a pair of very dedicated and committed volunteers who have, over the last nine years, traveled far and wide within the greater Marco community to bring great joy to young and old alike. The award went to Patricia Hagadorn and Bud Palmer, who, amongst many other volunteer efforts, spend much of their time between Thanksgiving and Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. Claus in and around the island.

“They go nonstop in their efforts to bring a smile to so many. The spirit of Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them,” said Wanda Burson, who serves as the Chairperson of Christmas Island Style Volunteers.

Citizen of the Year went to Yvette Benarroch, another dedicated volunteer within the community and Collier County. She presently serves as Second Vice Commander of the local American Legion Post 404 volunteers for the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Al’s Pals, Marco Patriots and the Noontime Rotary on Marco Island amongst many other interests. Yvette and husband Al Benarroch live on Marco, own Affordable Landscaping and are the proud parents of two teenage sons and paw-parents to two Golden Retrievers.

The President’s Award was presented by Chamber President Colleen Long to Dr. Rick Siegl and his dental practice for his continued contributions to many of the worthy non-profits on and about the island. In addition to his commitment to community organizations his service on the Chamber Board has been invaluable in restoring a viable and successful Chamber operation for the many businesses and organizations which belong to the Chamber and benefit from its services.

The many Chamber volunteers can now take a short rest and fuel up for the annual Souper Bowl event to be held on February 10 between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM at the Mackle Park Community Center. The event itself is co-sponsored by the Chamber’s Leadership Marco group and the City’s Park and Recreation Department. 

No football, but some of the most delicious soups you can taste in a custom-painted bowl you purchase the day of the event. Just go to the following website to find more information:

www.cityofmarcoisland.com/parksrec/page/annual-souperbowl.