The Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce will honor winners of its annual Community Awards tonight (Dec. 19) at its Christmas party at the Boulder Pointe Conference Center.
The Citizen of the Year award went to Lynette Johnson; Best New Business of the Year went to CC’s Cyber Cafe; and the Community Enhancement Award went to Christ the King Church for its new Family Life Center.
All of the chamber members in the community had the chance to vote for who they thought best deserved the awards, and the board chose the winners.
Johnson, who is Operations Manager for POH Medical Center – Oxford and vice president of the chamber board, had many reasons why she was named Citizen of the Year.
Some of the nomination forms read that she ‘tirelessly devoted her time and talent to the Oxford community.?
Aside from her responsibilities at POH and the chamber, Johnson is also pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business from Davenport University. She also helps plan the Women’s Expo and Christmas Parade every year.
CC’s Cyber Cafe (3 S. Washington St.), owned by Brian and Angel Lawlor, was named Best New Business of the Year.
Home to 14 ‘high-end? personal computers pre-loaded with over 100 games and top-of-the-line graphics cards, CC’s has become a great place for youth to hang out, which is one of the reasons they were chosen for the award.
‘They have established a business that allows the young people of our area to be a part of it,? one nomination form read.
Christ the King Church’s (1550 W. Drahner Rd.) new 18,427-square-foot Family Life Center took the gold in the Community Enhancement Award.
The main part of the building is a nearly 7,300-square-foot room, capable of holding 900 people for services. A large indoor gymnasium with a regulation high school basketball court is also used for sports and other youth activities.
In their nomination form, chamber members said the church deserved the award because ‘the church is a vital part of our community and offers their building for public use and youth leaders quite often.?
‘This church has undergone tremendous growth and has created a dynamic building,? the form read. ‘They greatly deserve this award.?