The Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Community Awards for almost 25 years.
This is a time to look around you at the people and organizations that make our community so special. So many businesses give to the community and nonprofit agencies throughout the year. So many nonprofit agencies fill huge gaps in our community providing services that are critical to the residents of Archuleta County.
Then there are the people that are the cogs of the wheels making everything happen. It’s time to honor these heroes. At the Chamber’s annual meeting in early February of 2024, we will do just that: honor and celebrate some of Pagosa’s success stories. At this time, we will honor the winners in the following Community Award categories: Citizen, Volunteer, Non-Profit, and Small Business of the Year.
The forms to nominate a community award winner will be available on the homepage of the Chamber’s website soon. Please fill out the forms completely — you can use a separate piece of paper to tell the full story. These forms allow you to tell a story about why the organization or per- son should be considered. The more complete your information about the person or organization, the more information the judges have to consider the nominee. The deadline for submitting the forms is January 15, 2024, at 5pm.
Here are some criteria for nominating in the various categories. All people or organizations nominated need to have lived in Pagosa, or have been in business, for three years. Both the Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year must be providing service to the community on a voluntary basis, not in association with their job.
The big difference between Volunteer and Citizen is that the Citizen of the Year needs to have impacted the community in one of the following ways: philanthropic, lifestyle, cultural or economic. A few examples of past recipients are last year’s winners, Dan and Venita Burch for their work in shaping the musical and cultural lifestyle of this community and their dedication to our youth. Evelyn Tennyson is a pillar of generosity with her time, fundraising and sponsorship efforts and is a philanthropic cornerstone in our community. Whether animals large or small, the arts, or our children, Tennyson is sure to be involved.
For the categories of Non-Profit and Small Business of the Year, we encourage people to self-nominate. No one knows their business like you do. You know the ins and outs, the reasons why you service the community or what special perks you offer in your business to staff or customers.
Take this time, as we do every year, to celebrate and honor those around you that make Pagosa Springs tick. Without these people and organizations, much of what happens in Pagosa would not be possible.