The Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce last week honored outstanding citizens, businesses and non-profit organizations during its annual Distinguished Citizen’s Awards banquet.

At the black-tie banquet, which took place Jan. 16 at Drumlins Country Club in Jamesville, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Brown was awarded Public Servant of the Year; Cheryl Schotz was named Citizen of the Year; Clear Path for Veterans, Inc., was named Not-For-Profit of the Year; and the Manlius and Fayetteville Tops Friendly Markets were awarded Business of the Year.

Attendees of the 16th annual banquet included mayors and deputy mayors from several local towns including Pompey, Minoa, Fayetteville and Manlius, along with friends and family of the honorees and member of the Manlius Chamber of Commerce.

The honorees all gave brief speeches during which they gave thanks for the award and made clear that their achievements were community efforts, done for the good of the community.

“I love working hard to raise money to give to our community, especially where I live and work,” said Citizen of the Year Cheryl Schotz. “It is an honor and a privilege to have been chosen amongst other great people. I do what I do because I love it and not for awards, but I do feel honored to receive this award.”

Schotz is an active member in the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce, working as the membership chairperson and on the board of directors. She is also the co-chair of the Allocation Committee for The Syracuse Jewish Federation of Central New York and she is on the board of trustees of The Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York.

Public Servant of the Year Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Brown also spoke and was introduced as a “Great American Hero” for his work in the New York Air National Guard and the 174th Attack Wing by Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Hudson. Among many different jobs Brown holds, he is the general counsel for the Onondaga County Water Authority, the municipal attorney for the town of Pompey and village of Marcellus and served in the New York State Assembly for two terms.

Melinda Sorrentino, co-founder and board member of Clear Path for Veterans, Inc. said without the faith of the community, she and Melissa Spicer, co-founder and board president for Clear Path for Veterans, Inc., would not have been able to start the organization.

“For all of you to be here tonight to honor us is a big deal,” Sorrentino said. “This is really an honor to all of you. We are a product of this wonderful community in which we live. We’re products of great parents, but it takes a village to raise a child.”

Both the Manlius and Fayetteville Tops were awarded the Business of the Year award due to their dedication and service to the community. Tops Friendly Markets helps non-profits, schools and charities by donating gift cards, supplies, food and many other products that people may need, said Manlius store manager Joe Rizzo.

“We try to use our donation budget to help as many organizations as we can,” Rizzo said. “We’re a small town grocery store; we’re a small town help.”

Manlius Town Supervisor Ed Theobald and Judy Dardzinski of Worldlink Travel acted as presenters for the ceremony. Each recipient was honored by the Manlius Chamber of Commerce and also received a Proclamation from the Manlius Town Board.

Ashley Wolf is a former Eagle Newspapers intern and is now a contributing writer. She can be reached at [email protected].