The Savannah Chamber of Commerce recently held its annual Award Meeting at the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah. Each year the Chamber recognizes a business, a local citizen and a young professional. € This year the Citizen of the Year award goes to two sisters; Aggie Arliss and Ann Ball, who have contributed many hours and much energy toward the benefit of Savannah. Aggie and Ann have been very involved in their church, St. Patrick's Church, serving on the council and the Altar Rosary Society. You will see them at every dinner that has been served at St. Patrick's and enjoy every dish that they have made. They both are members of the Savannah Community Club and currently oversee the biannual Community Club auction. They both have been instrumental in the formation of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce and the Potato Festival. For years they were responsible for the Potato Fest Queen contest.

Aggie and her late husband Fred were actively involved in their children's lives: Kurt Arliss and Chrissy Moses; both live in Savannah and now her grandchildren, Olivia and Kelsey. Even today, Aggie still finds time to visit the Wayne County Nursing Home once a week just to talk with the folks from Savannah. Aggie serves as a volunteer for St. Michael's Catholic School where her grandchildren go to school and she also is the volunteer for St. John's Church in Clyde, which collects used clothing for St. Pauly's from Rochester.

Her sister Ann currently is a Eucharistic minister for St. Patrick's and together with Jean Ganzs, coordinates the Savannah Food Pantry, which is housed at St. Patrick's Church. This year Ann will celebrate 50 years of being a member of the Savannah Fire Department, and the Fireman's Auxiliary. During those 50 years she has served in every leadership position except treasurer. Interestingly, however, Ann is often put in charge of doing the purchasing for their functions, because Ann always knows where they receive the best buy.

Ann and Aggie shared their life with others when both Ann and Aggie opened their homes to become certified Family Care Homes for mentally challenged adults. Ann has been a family Care Provider for 25 years and Aggie is still operating a Family Care Home, sharing her love for life and happiness for more than 20 years.

Before becoming a Family Care Home, Ann was a teacher's aide for the Savannah Elementary School, where she first volunteered when her children were at the school. Ann and William raised five boys and one girl: Bill Jr., Jim, Tom and Michael, who still live in Savannah, and Mark, who lives in Manhattan. Her only daughter, Debbie Wright, also lives in Savannah and she too operates a Family Care Home. Ann also enjoys her five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Knowing that their sister, Mary Winter from Clyde, is also like them, they were asked what in their childhood would cause them to become such giving individuals. The only response they could share was that they were one of 10 children and that being raised in the early 1940s, money was tight. So their mother was not able to give them material items but what she did give them was the skills to make whatever was needed. One sister shared that at age 10, she was taught how to make bread by her mother's bed when one of the younger siblings had just been born and the food had to be prepared for the rest of the family. Aggie shared that those skills have provided for them more that they ever would have realized as children. Ann and Aggie both shared that they have enjoyed all their volunteer work. And part of that enjoyment comes from working with people who make it fun to work with and the sense of pride in being a part of a caring community

€ The Young Professional Award will be given to Heath Waldron, who lives on Seneca Street with his wife Laura, who runs a Child Care Center out of their home. Heath graduated from Clyde-Savannah Central School in 2003 and graduated from Nashville Automotive Diesel School. Heath admitted that he thought he might stay in Nashville after finishing school because of the opportunities that were available there. However, his family convinced him to come back home and he is glad that he did. When he returned to Savannah, Heath made the conscious decision that he wanted to stay in Savannah and work to keep it a great place to raise his son, Emmett. Heath currently works for Lakeland Equipment in Savannah and is a very active member of the Savannah Fire Department. He is one of those young men who is always ready to help, whether it is on the Potato Fest Field or at the fire hall.

€ The Chamber of Commerce is recognizing Pearl Technologies Inc. as the Business of the Year. Many people driving through Savannah are not aware of Pearl Technologies Inc. which is located on Seneca Street, housed in a local warehouse. However, you would never know that it was a warehouse once you walk into their doors. Earl Pottorff started this business in his garage at his home on Taylor Road in 1985 making one product for one company. In five years time, he had developed more than 50 products for three distributors and 200 customers and employs three machinists. By 1997, he was in need of a larger building and that is when he moved to Seneca Street. This move proved to be timely and necessary as their products were gaining the attention of the whole world. Today, more than 3,000 precision converting and extrusion parts are being made and sold through 20 distributors and 2,000 customers. Robert Tewksbury, vice president, accepted the award for Earl Pottorff, who was currently in Florida. Mr. Tewksbury shared that Pearl Technologies is truly an example of the American dream that succeeded due to the great skills and knowledge of Earl and the fine employees from Savannah and its surrounding area that have become a part of this company. Currently there are 26 employees and a bright future for Pearl Technologies Inc.

Congratulations to each of these winners.

Savannah is proud of its residents and continues to provide an environment that will help to produce skilled and caring individuals who make a difference in their world.

Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net