HOISINGTON — Pat Horton, a lifetime Hoisington resident, was named "Citizen of the Year" at the recent Chamber of Commerce banquet in the Knights of Columbus Hall.
She has volunteered for such activities as the chamber of commerce and is current past president, Hoisington Main Street Inc., Labor Day events and the Clara Barton Foundation.
The letter of nomination said that she has a "commitment to strive to make Hoisington a better place to live" and that she "rolls up her sleeves and makes sure the job gets done."
She letter also said that she has chaired many projects and the writer of the nomination said they don’t know of anyone who works harder."
"I am very honored to receive this award," said Horton. "I was surprised and honored."
She has a passion to make a difference and calls on her own family for help to complete projects. She has two grown children who live in Hoisington, Raymond Horton and Shawna Petersilie and husband Mike. She has three grandchildren. She is married to her husband Don.
"I’m proud of our community," she said. "I really enjoy working with the public. I always am up for a challenges.
"We don’t want to loose our faith," said Horton. "Our nation has always been proud of hard work, strong, families and a close-knit community and our faith is in God."
Gene Mooney has been named as the new president of the chamber. He would like to initiate some new activities such as a 50/50 raffle. He also encouraged community members to shop locally.
Winners of the Community Awards were: Patricia Reinhardt, Excellence in Education; Cheyenne Bottoms Inn & Suites, Improvement in Business Climate; Hoisington Community Garden, Betterment of the Community through Volunteers; Dr. Dan Witt, Health Award; Jan Morgenstern, Outstanding Citizen Service; and Hoisington Recreation Commission, Youth Activities Award.
The guest speaker was Marci Penner, director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
She opened by saying as a Mennonite youth, she had never been in Knights of Columbus Hall.
"I didn’t know what went on in those Knights of Columbus Halls," she said laughing.
She encouraged the audience to appreciate the young adults in the community, try to think of new ideas and to shop locally.
"Your choice makes a difference," she said. "Running a business in a small town is a risk. Think about it when you make a choice about where you are going to shop."
She also spoke of the historical landmarks such as the Section Art in the post office, the school and the stadium.
"Remember how important you are to each other," said Penner.
