Friday, January 6, 2012

Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce Names Citizen and Business of the Year Honorees

DOVER—
The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce has announced their Citizen and Business of the Year Honorees, recognizing individuals who have made major contributions of time and energy to the progress and betterment of the Dover community. Recipients were selected from nominations submitted to a committee of Chamber, business and community leaders.
Dover’s 2011 Volunteer of Year Award Recipient, Calling All Cargo Moving and Storage is nominated not just as a moving company; this year, Calling All Cargo donated its moving services to multiple causes close to their hearts. Big Brother, Big Sister of the Greater-Seacoast was moving into a larger, updated facility and needed help getting there. Calling All Cargo donated a moving truck, five movers and supplies to help Big Brother Big Sister move into a better place, which will allow them to help more kids. Additionally, Calling All Cargo donated its truck and movers to Celebrate Pink, an organization for making a difference in the lives of women undergoing breast cancer treatment. They needed help with the set up and break down of a fundraising event for which they gladly supplied the muscle.
2012 Nonprofit of the Year honors The Strafford Rivers Conservancy—a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving the scenic beauty, natural resources, and unique character of the Strafford County region. Since 1989, the SRC has been the only local land trust for Strafford County and southern Carroll County. The SRC staff and volunteer board members meet with landowners who wish to conserve their property and educate them on how to protect their land via a conservation easement or outright gift of land. The SRC provides guidance throughout the process and helps organize community support, funding, legal arrangements, etc. to move the project to completion.
In the organization’s 22-year history, it has increased the number of properties on which it holds conservation easements from its initial 48-acre parcel along the Salmon Falls River on the Dover/Rollinsford border to 58 parcels with 3,270 acres of forest, farm, riverfront, and lakefront property. Ten of these properties are in Dover and range from 4 to 77 acres.
This year, the Business of the Year Award was bestowed upon Measured Progress.
Founded by two passionate educators, Measured Progress (then Advanced Systems) in 1983, they could not have predicted that their small assessment firm would one day assess more than 2.5 million students nationwide. Measured Progress is an industry leader in the development of customized, K-12 student assessments for schools, districts, and states. With more than 400 employees and offices in four states, the non-profit company remains true to its founders’ philosophy: assessments are a means, not an end. It still is all about student learning.
Measured Progress believes that all students can achieve a quality education, especially when they understand what they need to accomplish and have the educational support to get there. This is why the company has dedicated itself to investing in research that provides insight into assessing students with cognitive disabilities. There are precious few companies that invest even half the time and resources in advancing education that Measured Progress does. The organization’s commitment to education excellence is both unparalleled and inspiring.
The 2012 Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Pam Simpson. The list of boards, committees, charities, volunteer efforts, and general community work that Pam has participated in and in most cases led is endless. To list them now would surely miss many, but suffice to say, if there is something new and exciting happening in Dover—it’s likely that Pam was at the center of it.
She has served on the Dover Children’s Home Board for a number of years helping to raise funds for this worthy organization. And, while serving on the Board, Pam was honored with the Paul Harris Award from the Dover Rotary.
When Pam agreed to join the Board of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce after many years as a member of the Chamber and serving on many committees, she didn’t expect the tasks she would encounter during her year as Chair. She was working hard on the Board, helping to develop and organize the Capital Campaign for the purchase of a new facility, when she was also tasked with the management of the organization and the search for a new Executive Director. Without complaint she realized she would have to increase her volunteer hours and work with the Chamber Board and Staff on a daily basis, not only to manage the daily running of the organization, but the continued efforts of the Capital Campaign to raise funds, along with the management of the renovations of the new facility and organizing the move.
This year’s honorees have done much for the city of Dover, and it is with much gratitude that the Chamber and its community bestow these awards upon them.