Gala honors Citizen of the Year winners
Committee announces 68th annual award recipients
Winners of the Boyertown Citizen of the Year Awards will be honored at the 68th Annual Citizen of the Year Gala on April 9.
“Every year, our winners are ambitious and driven, but this year, we have a diverse panel of winners that has changed lives in so many different aspects of our community,” said Lindsey Mason, a Citizen of the Year committee member.
Boyertown pharmacist Ed Hudon, owner of The Medicine Shoppe in Boyertown, will be presented this year’s Citizen of the Year. The Special Recognition Award will be presented to the Boyertown Community COVID Vaccine Outreach Project, which was founded by Hudon and run by a group of volunteers.
Other awards will be presented to Cody L. Whitfield for First Responder of the Year, Ross Smith for Mentor of the Year, and Sarah E. Drakas for Student of the Year.
“While we can only recognize one person per category every year, we recognize that there are hundreds of people in the shadows putting in hours of work without recognition,” said Mason, a past Citizen of the Year recipient. “We appreciate them!”
Organized by the Citizen of the Year committee — comprised of past award recipients and community members — the gala will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. Proceeds will benefit the Citizen of the Year winner’s choice of charity.
“We take time to appreciate the people who make our town better,” said Mark Malizzi, committee member and past award recipient.
Amid the pandemic, the 66th awards, postponed until September 2020, were presented during a socially distanced limited gathering, as well as shared virtually via Facebook Live.
Last year, the 67th Annual Gala was held in June and boasted a larger in-person attendance but was still limited to 150, as well
as shared virtually on Facebook Live.
This year’s gala offers seating for 200 and can be viewed virtually on Facebook Live.
“COVID restrictions have been relaxed so we’re able to do a lot more in person and really honor these great people in our community,” said Malizzi, who will emcee the gala with Mason.
Tickets are $25 per seat. To purchase tickets, go to http://boyertowncoty.com/ events/68th-boyertowncitizen-of-the-year-awardsevent/.
“We want to make sure we fill the house this year and really share the love,” Malizzi said.
Malizzi said the Citizen of the Year awards are an opportunity to share appreciation for people that do some amazing things in the Boyertown community, selecting a citizen, mentor, first responder and student.
“There are different people that do different things in our community and a lot of them are the unsung heroes,” said Malizzi. “These are the people that are behind the scenes; they’re not looking for recognition but are really the thing that makes our community so special. Some of the stories that come in for the nominations are just amazing of what these people have done for the community.”
Mason said the committee received a number of nominations for each category.
“The competition is always very steep and we had to make some truly difficult decisions this year,” she said.
The winner is selected based on the impact they have made in their category based on the information provided and from the nominations. The committee then chooses a person that best exemplifies the support and volunteerism needed for the community’s daily operation in that category.
“When we choose the winners, we don’t just look at one project or just that past year. We look at their life’s achievements,” Mason explained. “Sometimes, they have done something in the past year to bring their decades of service to light, but often the people who win the awards are people who have been giving back to and supporting the community for years and in many different ways.”
The winner is someone that has gone above and beyond in their category and in the Boyertown area community.
“Nobody volunteers in their community for the sole purpose of being recognized; that’s just not why they do it. But this program thanks them for their hard work and encourages others to do the same,” said Mason.
She said that what this program unique is that it brings to light the amount of work it takes to make Boyertown a special kind of place.
“The hope is that when others see the gala, they want to also find a way to help. Without these people, our community would not be growing and thriving as it currently is.”
Citizen of the Year — Ed Hudon
Ed and his wife Terry opened The Medicine Shoppe in Boyertown in 1993.
“Ed Hudon is a caring, compassionate pharmacist who always keeps patient needs at the forefront of every decision,” Mason co-wrote in Hudon’s award’s bio. “He is always a friendly face behind the counter at The Medicine Shoppe in Boyertown, and we are thrilled that he has been chosen as the 68th Annual Boyertown Citizen of the Year.”
A Flip the Pharmacy Participant, he uses pharmacy improvement methods and implements patientcentered programming. He is also recognized as a CPESN/PPCN Luminary in which he serves as an expert advisor to the network and provides guidance for community pharmacy practice transformation and innovation.
The Medicine Shoppe hosts flu vaccination clinics, hypertension assessments and blood pressure screening events, as well as mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
Special Recognition — Boyertown Community COVID Vaccine Outreach Project
When many traveled hours to locate a COVID vaccine and struggled to navigate technology to schedule appointments in January 2021, Ed Hudon founded the Boyertown Community COVID Vaccination Project, a volunteer group that ensures all community members have access to a COVID vaccine.
“Throughout these efforts, the Boyertown Community COVID Vaccination Project as a whole maintained one important value: to never force opinions on anyone and respect decisions of each individual. The team’s main goal was to give every individual the option and educational means necessary to make medical decisions that were best for themselves,” co-writes Mason in the award bio.
In conjunction with the Boyertown Community Library, the first Boyertown Community COVID Vaccination Clinic was born. At the same time, the pharmacy provided clinics at assisted living and nursing home facilities. Then, in what started as an effort to vaccinate Boyertown teachers, the Vaccination Project worked with the district to provide larger clinics.
“These clinics did not only involve preparing, setting up the clinic, analyzing consent forms, monitoring patients, reporting to the state, cleaning up and facilitating homebound visits for those that could not get to the clinic,” co-writes Mason. “It also entailed educating patients and respecting each individual’s wishes. Friendship and trust created the space to immunize the masses. It cannot be stressed enough that this combined effort was more than just vaccines, but the ability of those around us to join forces for a shared cause: protecting the community. Everyone’s joint and individual efforts deserve recognition, applause, and gratitude.”
Numerous volunteers contributed toward the project, including school staff, administration, students, girl scouts, medical staff and community members.
“The number of volunteers that donated countless hours of their time to help the cause is likely in the hundreds. Their tenacity in providing services to our community was a monumental
task, and they handled it with grace and determination,” co-writes Mason. “THANK YOU to everyone involved in this project. This effort truly could not have been accomplished without your selflessness, generosity, kindness, and dedication during a difficult time for the world.”
First Responder — Cody L. Whitfield
An active first responder to the Boyertown area since his start as a junior firefighter with the Earl Township Volunteer Fire Company #1, Whitfield is now Assistant Chief. He has secured more than $200,000 in grant funds for the fire company.
Whitfield serves as the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator for Douglass Township, Montgomery County and is a Firefighter/EMT with Gilbertsville Fire & Rescue. He also serves as EMS Lieutenant of Bally Community Ambulance Association.
Mentor of the Year — Ross Smith
Ross “Squiggs” Smith has been involved with the Boyertown School District baseball program for the last 39 years, holding many positions. He has also been scorekeeper for the Boyertown Midget Baseball League for the last five years and has been involved in the Boyertown American Legion Post 471 Baseball team in a number of capacities for 21 years. He has also held many positions in the Berks County American Legion Baseball League.
Smith has been the statistician for the Boyertown Area Senior High Football program for 39 years and was a founding member of the Boyertown Area Football Association (2004), an organization that supports the football program by raising money for equipment and technology not already covered by the school district or the parents’ organization. He also served as scorekeeper for the school’s basketball team for 20 years.
He has been the BASH athletic leader for 10 years, filling in where needed. He also logs both past and present statistics, archiving the history of Boyertown sports and allowing the statistics to be readily available when needed.
“His dedication to Boyertown youth sports is evident in all he does,” cowrites Mason his award bio. “While many leaders have come and gone, his constant role in our programs makes sports for our Boyertown youth possible. Without him, the students would not have nearly as many opportunities as they do today.”
Student of the Year — Sarah E. Drakas
An activist and leader who believes in inspiring young adults to make change in her community, over the past four years Drakas has been involved in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society raising in excess of $60,000, winning the Mission Award, and being part of the Junior Advisory Committee.
“Sarah believes there is always change to be made and we must all participate in making this world a better place,” according to her awards bio.
Drakas leadership roles throughout her high school career include the Youth and Government Program through the YMCA, Link Crew, and National Honor Society culminating in her being selected as the Student School Board Representative. Through her role on the Board, Sarah has created a website for this position and organized Student Leader Luncheons to bridge the gap between the administration and student body.