Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce

The Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the outstanding roster of 2024 Award Winners. The Paul L. Powell Citizen of the Year award recognizes an individual(s) for their outstanding service to the Orrville Community. This year, we are excited to present the Paul L. Powell Citizen of the Year award to Georgene Wright. Mollie Currie describes Georgene as “curator, designer, conservationist, interior decorator, archivist” of the Orrville Area Historical Society. The Small Business of the Year award is being presented to Michael’s Bakery. The Small Business of the Year award recognizes a Chamber member with twenty or fewer employees that has made an outstanding contribution to the community in the past year. “Michael’s Bakery is a staple in our community. They are extremely generous with their donations and their time,” Josh Nolan stated. We are happy to announce that Moog, Inc. will receive the Business Impact award, which recognizes a Chamber member who has had an impactful year on the community. Moog employees help support area youth by volunteering with Junior Achievement and the Orrville Area Young Professionals. They are charitable and back many local programs such as the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club, Orrville YMCA, and Orrville Area United Way, just to name a few. The Dr. Andrew Naumoff Healthy Habits Champion award is presented by Growing Healthy Habits and this year’s recipient is Loretta Raff. Loretta has demonstrated a personal devotion to her own health. She has had a positive impact on the health and wellness of the community. The Wayne County Community Foundation and the Orrville Area Chamber will present the Worthy Works award to Apostolic Christian Village. This award acknowledges the important contributions that not-for-profit members make to their community. They offer a wide variety of services to their residents. The Village provides various levels of care, making it a wonderful resource to those who transition to different stages in life and allows them to stay in the community without having to move to a new facility. We are excited to announce the Leadership Orrville Distinguished Alumni Award recipient as Justin Haislip. “Since participating in the Leadership Orrville program, Justin has become even more engaged and committed to the Orrville Area community. He serves as an OHuddle mentor, he is a member of Rotary, and cofounded the Orrville Community Development Corporation, just to name a few ways he’s involved in the area,” said Dan Franks.  The 2024 Awards Celebration will be Tuesday, May 21 at 5 PM at White Oak Event Center in Orrville. All are welcome to attend to celebrate our award winners and their commitment to our community, but tickets must be purchased in advance. You can purchase tickets at www.orrvillechamber.com or by calling 330.682.8881.

Orrville Area United Way (OAUW) hosted their Volunteer Appreciation Celebration on April 16, 2024, at the historic Smith Orr Homestead. Over 60 attendees gathered, enjoying tours provided by the Orrville Historical Society, and dining on delicious food served up from Rollin’ with Seo’s food truck. The event was a light-hearted, celebratory atmosphere of gratitude for the dedicated volunteers whose invaluable contributions are changing lives in the Dalton, Marshallville, and Orrville service areas. Michele Wilson, Community Campaign Coordinator, delivered a heartfelt speech highlighting the exceptional efforts of two outstanding volunteers. Shane Scarbrough received the esteemed 2023 Patti Ayers “YES!” Award for the significant impact his unwavering commitment and heart of gold have made both at OAUW and within the community. Additionally, Walter Samson was honored with OAUW’s highest award, the 2023 Gene & Mickey Workman Lifetime Achievement Award, for his exemplary leadership and dedication to OAUW's mission. Whether it’s something new and exciting OAUW is embarking on or an impossible task that needs completed, Walter is up for the challenge with a quick “Let’s do it!”. OAUW extends its sincere appreciation to the Orrville Historical Society, Runions' Furniture, P. Graham Dunn, and Rollin’ with Seo for their generous support celebrating OAUW’s volunteers. The celebration emphasized the vital role volunteers play in empowering Orrville Area United Way’s community through their selfless service.  For more information about Orrville Area United Way and future volunteer opportunities, please email office@oauw.org or call 330-683-8181.