The Community Service Award recognizes individuals and/or groups who by their service to others or contributions to the Palmer community help to distinguish Palmer as a caring community.
This years Community Service Award winner is Cindy Oatis, Recycling Coordinator for Palmer Township.
Cindy Oatis' life long interest in environmental issues led her to volunteer to serve on Palmer's newly formed Environmental Steering Committee when she and her family moved to Palmer in 1990. In 1994 she became Palmer's Recycling Coordinator.
Since that time she has been responsible for obtaining recycling related grants that have paid 90% of the cost of Palmer's Recycling Center, Yard Waste Drop-off Center, along with approximately 1,000 backyard composters for our residents. Additionally, she has obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in recycling performance grant funding as well. In fact, the total amount of Palmer's recycling grant funding to date is fast approaching $2,000,000.00 with approximately $175,000.00 projected for the 2009 calendar year alone.
Cindy has not only been a prime force in a very active Environmental Steering Committee but has been active in the Palmer Moravian Church, the Stones Crossing Swim Club, the Palmer School PTA where she played a lead role in the replacement of old and unsafe playground equipment and in the PTA at Shawnee School when her children Rachael and Zach attended there. She was also responsible for creating and publishing Palmer's first Bike Path Map as well as having served as Editor of Palmer's newsletter Palmer Today for many years.
In her capacity as Recycling Coordinator, Cindy has gone beyond the traditional borders of the job to help several cub scout troops and high school students with everything from obtaining badges to helping with environmental projects and video productions.
Palmer Township residents can be proud of the efforts of its Environmental Steering Committee and even more of the dedication shown by one of its long-time members and Recycling Coordinator, Cindy Oatis.
In the pictue, Debbie Young presents the award to Cindy.