Putnam Chamber Recognizes Karen Haynes
Current Recipient of the Mayo Lester Community Service Award

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce proudly presented the 2008 Mayo Lester Community Service Award to Karen Haynes at the Putnam Chamber Annual Dinner Meeting on January 30, 2009. The event was held at Wellingtons with 250 people in attendance.

The Mayo Lester Community Service Award was named after the Chamber's founder and first Board Chairman, Mayo Lester, who was the first recipient of the award in 1979. The criteria used in choosing the recipient includes the positive impact made because of action taken, an extraordinary amount of uncompensated time devoted to a project or projects, creativity and initiative displayed beyond what is expected, and a high degree of personal sacrifice. It is much more than being a good citizen or a good friend.

Ms. Haynes is an active and tireless volunteer throughout Putnam County, but is especially involved in Parks and Recreation activities and the efforts to build a new Animal Relief Center. In her volunteer endeavors for Parks and Recreation, Ms. Haynes has established family-oriented activities that residents have come to anticipate including Kids Fun Day, Princess Tea Party (which brought over 1,500 people last year), Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and Boy's Day at the Park. She also volunteers for Yuletide in the Park and Bark at the Park. With regard to the Animal Relief Center, Ms. Haynes spearheaded and organized fundraising events (most notably the Fur Ball, recently raising over $17,000), engaging engineers to design the facility and meeting with contractors to gauge the scope of the construction details. She has also pursued the surveying and donation of the property where the proposed shelter may be built.

Besides helping her community, Haynes' mission is to show her granchildren the importance of helping others. "I love doing things for kids, because that's our future and we have to take care of them," Haynes says. "It is very important to me that we pass these things onto our next generation, it is what we are supposed to do - help each other."

In addition to receiving the 2008 Mayo Lester Award, Ms. Haynes is a recipient of the WSAZ Hometown Hero Award and the 2008 Governor's Service Award for volunteer work.

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to congratulate Karen Haynes as the 2008 Mayo Lester Community Service Award recipient.


Learn more about the History of the Mayo Lester Community Service Award