Local residents Nancy Owen and Robert “Bob” Murphy, along with Pino’s Italian Restaurant, were honored at the annual Buckingham Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet last January.
Owen was named recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for her volunteering, and teaching, in Buckingham County Schools. Presently retired, she helps residents at Heritage Hall.
Murphy is active in his church and is known for transporting people, especially for hospital appointments.
Pino’s owner Joe Lentini received the Best Business of 2016 Award. Pino’s has undergone several improvements over the years, and was recognized for their contributions to local non-profit organizations.
The annual event, held the 3rd Monday of every January (usually the observance of Martin Luther King’s birthday), also celebrates the continued success of the Buckingham Chamber.
For more about these local leaders, see the nomination letters below.
Nominators for Best Business Awards 2016
NOMINATION LETTER FOR NANCY OWEN
You can feel certain you have a great person nominated for Lifetime Achievement Award when there are three people singing her praises!
The first area of recognition revolves around her work in our school system. She loved all of the children and tried to help each one of them. She often took time from her own family to help children with transportation to special events and games.
All it took was a good cup of coffee in the morning and she was off and running…making arrangements for food drives or clothes drives, not only for school children in need, but for the community as a whole. She stressed to her students the importance of commitment to others. She came out at night to teach CNA classes and was adored by her students. She made coming to work a joy as she was always smiling and happy and could make you see the best in everyone and everything.That is a real gift.
Her dedication and devotion to Heritage Hall is amazing. She buys bird seed for all the feeders and keeps them filled. She assists residents in their activities and always comes to see people from the community when they become residents at HH. She brings items (clothing, etc.) to residents who have needs and brings her grandchildren to visit the elderly, both in the community and nursing homes.
She worked with Meals on Wheels and is now a loyal assistant with the Food Bank.Somehow with all of this, she still finds time to take older members of the community to lunch as well as taking friends out to lunch for their birthdays.
Nancy is tireless in her loyalty and her caring spirit for those around her. Her smile and sense of humor brightens the lives of so many people, and we feel she truly deserves this recognition and honor.
by Mary Llewellyn, Margaret Stout & Angela Moore
NOMINATION LETTER FOR ROBERT “BOB” MURPHY
This gentleman is more than appreciated for the work, time, services and contributions that he has made in his community. I look at this person as being so appreciated to the others that served him in time of sorrow when his daughter lost her battle to cancer. Whether it was a phone call or a visit to his home or one of the many fund raisers that were done to honor his daughter Tammie, he was thankful.
I picture this gentleman’s life like a camera, he is always so focused on the people in the community and willing to help out and go above and beyond to help others in need. He focuses on what is important and leaves no ones concerns or problem un-focused. He captures the good times and the memories to look back on and instill in others, that having more is not always important but developing from the negative, in having gratitude in what we have, is plenty.
Traveling to hospitals to take individuals every day for chemotherapy/radiation for multiple weeks is just one of the many volunteer tasks that he does on a daily basis. He is also active in his church and reaches out to the community to help when needed. He called upon every year to take pictures at the little league ball park and the Maysville Baptist church for the basketball season. The majority of the money that he makes is contributed/donated back into the cause to the little league and the Christian foundation.
Above and beyond all of the community volunteering that he does, he makes time for his family and close friends from going to the grocery store to taking the grandchildren to school and then picking them up every day. He also gets phone calls from close friends in the family to take their kids to the hair salon or the dentist office. “No” has never been a word in his vocabulary, and he is very well known in the community for being an active citizen. This honor and award is well deserving to this valuable community member that is highly respected and known to many.
by Jackie Garrett & Ronald Dunkum
NOMINATION LETTER FOR PINO’S RESTAURANT
There are many reasons I would like to nominate Pinos for the Business of the Year Award.
The reason that is most evident is the amazing renovation of the restaurant both inside and out. It is bright and clean and they have done so much to improve their business and offer a comfortable and inviting environment to their customers and staff.
There are rare occasions that I pass by and the parking lot is NOT packed. For the businesses around here, that is a very clear sign something is going on it making a stamp of approval on the door. Some folks plan meetings and out-of-town visitors on any day BUT Tuesday when they know Pino’s will not be available so they can show what we have to offer in the area.
However, there are many behind the scenes things that Joe & Pinos do also. They are great about helping with gift cards for non-profit and charitable events as well as giving percentage of sales to non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity Buckingham Build.
If you have a larger crowd, they are very accommodating to get your crowd seated together. They don’t mind going out of their way to work large groups in.
There is a difference between being in business and giving back to the community at large and Pino’s provides a service which is needed in this area and remembers who made them what they are giving back to Buckingham and it’s customers.
Being Business of the Year should cover several areas and Pinos has them all covered.
Thanks Joe!
by Sallie Mowbray