This fall, the Coronado Chamber of Commerce will be presenting its 43rd annual Celebrate Coronado Community Awards ceremony.
The 2024 event will honor outstanding community members and city employees of the year during a four-course, sit-down dinner at Feast and Fareway, 2000 Visalia Row, located in the Coronado Municipal Golf Course. Tickets to attend are $49 and the ceremony will go from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.
The evening will honor and celebrate Coronado’s police department, fire department and lifeguard services and the city employees of the year, along with chamber members reaching milestone anniversaries.
The chamber’s prestigious award, presented annually since the event’s inception, is the Lewis R. Hardy Jr. Memorial Award which bestows the highest honor to one local leader who is an excellent promoter of business and gives back their time.
“That’s presented to someone who has significant economic and community impact,” Rena Clancy, the chamber’s executive director, said. “We just have so many great people in our community. We never have a shortage of a great list.”
And while there are a number of people eligible for this award, Clancy said, the winner is decided by the organization’s board members and past recipients who nominate a person who fits the description. The board then decides who is the most qualified.
“I don’t believe it’s a hard qualifier but to make significant community and economic contributions, it’s almost always been a Coronado resident,” added Clancy about the history of award winners being local to the island.
100 plus expected at this year’s event
Each department in the City of Coronado nominates employees of the year.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, each departmental entity — the police department, fire department and lifeguard services and the City of Coronado City Manager — will present their awards followed by short speeches.
Andrea McCullough, Coronado’s communications officer, said the 2023 employee of the year, Police Officer Grace Del Bagno, was recognized by the city in April and will be presented an award at the October event.
Clancy said that attendees can expect the same celebratory atmosphere as last year because the event will take place in the same venue.
“It’s a great location and Feast and Fareway is so beautiful,” Clancy said about the space.
This year, the chamber expects more than 100 people at the awards.
“We acknowledge past presidents of the chamber, the partnership with the City of Coronado and the Chamber of Commerce and how important our public services are to our city and how it really makes Coronado the place that we all love,” said Clancy. “It’s a really good feel good event.”
Clancy said the chamber’s mission is helping businesses succeed in order for the community to prosper.
“A lot of our major events and things that we are able to do through community grants is all possible because of the work that we are able to do with the city,” said Clancy.
And hosting these awards is one way the chamber can acknowledge the magnificent community that works together in every way for the mutual benefit of all of Coronado, she added.
“To see how passionate each group of people are…the all-hands-on-deck to make Coronado as wonderful as possible is the very best takeaway,” Clancy said.
