The Newtown Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and breakfast January 12 at My Place Restaurant. The program featured a variety of routine business, but also provided time to honor several area residents for their service to the organization and the community.

Prior to a report from Chamber President Tim Haas, the roughly three dozen members and supporters attending observed a moment of silence to remember one of their board members, Town Economic Development Commission Chair Jean Leonard, who died just after Christmas.

Mr Haas then announced and welcomed the Chamber's newest slate of Directors: Linda Andrews, Jim Gulalo, Sharon Maynard, Anne Ragusa, Brian Amey, and Larry Rice. Mr Amey will assume the position of Vice President, while Mr Rice will become Treasurer.

Chamber member Carole George, it was announced, will serve as Secretary.

Honorary membership and a commemorative certificate were presented to Jane and Don Sharpe for their lifelong support of the organization.

Mr Haas then called former C.H. Booth Library Director Janet Wojcik and Diana Johnson for 31 years to present them with honorary membership and certificates decorated with colorful holiday ornaments recognizing their longstanding efforts organizing the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Ram Pasture.

The meeting also welcomed Lois Barber, who has coordinated an annual Beautiful Baby Contest since 2010 as a way to help benefit Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit charity that raises funds to help build or re-outfit homes for severely injured and permanently disabled American veterans.

Ms Barber said her current goal is to help build a home in West Haven for a returning soldier named Sean, who recently was stranded in his residence because his in-home stair lift malfunctioned while the injured vet was on it, prompting a firefighter neighbor to rescue him and carry him to his second floor bedroom.

“Sean was shot 13 times by an enemy sniper,” Ms Barber related, “and the last bullet severed his spine, rendering him permanently paralyzed.”

Ms Barber helps raise funds through the contest by having each contestant pay a one-time $20 entry fee. Then, she posts a collection board with each entry pictured and collects $1 per vote with the ‘winning’ baby and runner-up receiving a package of donated prizes and an opportunity to ride in a chauffered convertible in the Newtown Labor Day Parade.

During his report, Mr Haas also reviewed a new strategic effort by the chamber to attract new members, and to be of even greater service to town businesses by engaging larger local companies, as well as home-based business owners through various newly-formed outreach committees.

“Our larger businesses have places for us to meet, and resources to share that could help us a lot,” he said, adding that the organization also hopes to become more aligned with the local EDC to facilitate more cooperative support of initiatives to help grow and sustain Newtown’s business community.