{"id":112388,"date":"2022-05-25T20:06:29","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T00:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=112388"},"modified":"2022-05-25T20:13:59","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T00:13:59","slug":"greater-northern-lehigh-announces-honorees-of-the-29th-annual-spirit-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=112388","title":{"rendered":"Greater Northern Lehigh Announces Honorees of the 29th Annual Spirit Awards!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber Presents:<br \/>\n29<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Spirit Awards<br \/>\nJune 18<sup>th<\/sup>, 2022 | 9:30 AM \u2013 11:30 AM<strong><u>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Event Information: The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber, proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce presents the 29<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Spirit Award!<\/p>\n<p>The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce (GNLCC), proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber, is pleased to announce that the honorees of the 29<sup>th<\/sup> Annual Spirit Awards. The event and award ceremony will be hosted on Saturday, June 18<sup>th<\/sup>, 2022, at Ontelaunee Park Pavilion in New Tripoli, PA, beginning at 9:30 AM. The morning brunch will be held in this historic park, as we honor our awardees that have impacted the past, present and future of the Greater Northern Lehigh region.<\/p>\n<p>This years awardees include Walter Niedermeyer (Spirit Award), former mayor of Slatington, local volunteer and veteran; Heintzelman Funeral Home \u2013 Schnecksville (Business of the Year); and Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund (Nonprofit of the Year).<\/p>\n<p>The morning will consist of an outdoor event nestled in the hills of Ontelaunee Park and will provide ample opportunity for mingling and networking prior to the awards presentation. Brunch will be catered by the coveted Curious Goods at The Bake Oven Inn, who sources their ingredients from local farmers and suppliers throughout the region. The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber will also hold a basket raffle to benefit the GNLCC Scholarship fund and the 2022 Non-Profit of the Year<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur nominations were lengthy this year and all were extraordinarily deserving of being in the running\u201d said Andy Gildner, Chair of the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce and Owner of Keystone Technology LLC. \u201cOur honorees, Walter Niedermeyer, Heintzelman Funeral Home and Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund were selected because of their dedication to the Greater Northern Lehigh region and the work they do to make our community a great place to live and work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Spirit Award, established in 1993 by the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber, has been a long-held tradition that honors a local individual who embodies community and volunteerism. This year\u2019s honoree, Walter Niedermeyer, is a long-time resident of Slatington, where he served as Mayor for 20 years and was named the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce\u2019s \u201cMayor of the Year\u201d in 2009. Niedermeyer also worked as a firefighter for the city of Allentown for 33 years, 12 of which he served as a lieutenant. He is heavily involved in the Slatington Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Venture Group; he also served in the US Navy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve done a lot for the community, and that\u2019s all I intend to keep doing,\u201d said Niedermeyer. \u201cI\u2019m honored to be receiving the award and intend to keep serving my community in years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Heintzelman Funeral Home and Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund will be honored as the Business of the Year and Nonprofit of the Year, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica O\u2019Donnell, Executive Vice President of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, stated, \u201cBoth Heintzelman Funeral Home and Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund have continued to be incredible community partners over the years, advocating for both businesses and the community alike. We\u2019re excited to honor both organizations, as they continue to be great Chamber partners!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heintzelman Funeral Homes is located in Schnecksville and is family-owned and operated; the Schnecksville location has been operating since 1938, which was founded by the late Walter and Florence Bard. It was founded by the late Walter and Florence Bard. The business was passed to their nephew, the late Richard A. Heintzelman. Richard attended the former Eckels School of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. After becoming licensed he became sole owner and operator of the business in 1953. Richard, with his wife Jean, continued to grow the business as well as the physical structure adding major additions in 1989. Richard\u2019s sons, Robert B. Heintzelman and David J. Heintzelman, became licensed funeral directors in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Both attended the Funeral Service Program at Northampton Community College, Bethlehem. Richard A. Heintzelman, their father, died November 13, 2011. His legacy of dedication and service will never be forgotten. His loving wife, Jean, continues to actively participate in the everyday operations of the business. Robert B. Heintzelman was appointed Supervisor prior to his father\u2019s passing, and continues to provide care for Schnecksville and surrounding communities to this day.<\/p>\n<p>The Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund was founded in 2007 in loving memory of twenty-two year old Krysta Hankee. The Fund has three missions: to maintain &amp; support the \u201cKrysta Cares (KC) Flight Club\u201d initiative for the purpose of identifying needs within the community, partnering with service providers &amp; awarding Giant Gas gift cards for specific purposes identified &amp; supported by the Board; to provide leadership and community service scholarships to worthy students in Northwestern Lehigh School District and Lehigh Carbon Community College; and to increase organ donation awareness and registration, as Krysta was a donor and, in her passing, saved the lives of five others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are fortunate to have a Chamber that takes the time and effort to recognize the individuals, businesses and non-profits who work hard to build a better community,\u201d said Bill and Chris Hankee of the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll three of our awardees hold the spirit of community close to their hearts and have family legacy that ties them to our community at their core,\u201d said Kylie Adams-Weiss, Assistant Vice President of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce. \u201cThe Greater Northern Lehigh region is one that echoes these sentiments \u2013 it\u2019s a place that our families invest in, work in, grow in, and do business in. We\u2019re excited to be able to shine a spotlight on the businesses and individuals who embody the spirit of our community in such genuine ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For 29 years, the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce&#8217;s Spirit Awards have celebrated individuals and organizations that have created a lasting impact within our community; the award looks for organizations that commit to making the area a great place to work and live.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about Greater Northern Lehigh\u2019s Spirit Awards or to purchase tickets, please visit the Greater Northern Lehigh\u2019s website at: <a href=\"https:\/\/web.lehighvalleychamber.org\/events\/2022-Spirit-Awards-GNLCC--838469\/details\">https:\/\/web.lehighvalleychamber.org\/events\/2022-Spirit-Awards-GNLCC&#8211;838469\/details<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Please note:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><em>An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending a Chamber event or meeting, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce including partnerships; the event venue; or other parties such as caterer or production company; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nWhen:<\/strong> June 18, 2022 from 9:30 AM \u2013 11:30 AM<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pricing Information:<\/strong> $40 Individual Member Rate\/$75 Couple Member Rate; $50 Individual Future-Member Rate\/$90 Couple Future-Member Rate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sponsors (as of 5\/19\/2022):<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>Premier Sponsor:<\/strong> Ironton Telephone<br \/>\n<strong>Music Sponsor:<\/strong> Heintzelman Funeral Homes (Schnecksville), Extraordinary Smiles<br \/>\n<strong>Gold Sponsor:<\/strong> Neffs National Bank, Keystone Technology LLC<br \/>\n<strong>Cocktail Sponsor:<\/strong> Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, Service Electric<br \/>\n<strong>Bronze Sponsor:<\/strong> Rentschler\u2019s Auto, Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund<br \/>\n<strong>Photography Sponsor:<\/strong> Mike Robinson Productions<br \/>\n<strong>Printing Sponsor:<\/strong> EBC Printing<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>About the Chamber:<\/em><\/strong> <em>The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area.\u00a0 We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises.\u00a0 With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nKylie Adams-Weiss<br \/>\nAVP, Director of Marketing &amp; Design (Affiliated Chambers)<br \/>\nGreater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lehighvalleychamber.org\/\">https:\/\/www.lehighvalleychamber.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber Presents: 29th Annual Spirit Awards June 18th, 2022 | 9:30 AM \u2013 11:30 AM\u00a0 Event Information: The Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber, proud partner of the Greater &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=112388\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Greater Northern Lehigh Announces Honorees of the 29th Annual Spirit Awards!<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/spitit-awards.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112388"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/112389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}