A community service award was given to a business, chamber member, individual, organization and youth.

ConocoPhillips was chosen for the community service award to a business. The chamber’s board recognized the company for it’s charitable contributions to the Eagle River Boys & Girls Club and Eagle River Nature Center. The company also helps with beautification projects such as cleaning up Chief Alex Park in Eagle River and assists with artistic design for the Bear Paw Festival.

The board chose chamber member Eagle River Rotary for being an “integral part of our business district and this community for three decades,” read a release by the chamber. The club has also sponsored the I-did-a-duck Rubber Ducky Race for the last 24 years, since the start of the Bear Paw Festival.

George Lochner was selected for the community service individual award. Lochner has twice been president of the chamber, a “computer savior for all nonprofits,” and an enthusiastic teacher of music. The board said he is “ethical, kind to animals, tolerant and all around a good person.”

The chamber board picked Konrad’s Workshop as the community service organization award winner. The organization was started by the Koehler family as a way to support son Konrad Koehler, who has Down syndrome. The workshop is a place for children with developmental disabilities to create art and do community service projects. Seth Kelly, who nominated the workshop, wrote: “Konrad’s Workshop brings a sense of achievement and creates a chance for parents to be a parent of a child, not a parent of a child with disabilities.”

The Bear Paw community service youth award was given to Kelsey Gryting Lien, 10. She collected more than 1,000 books for the new Chugiak-Eagle River branch library. Kelsey made posters to solicit book donations and encouraged classes at Alpenglow Elementary School to give during her 2-week long book drive. She baked cookies for the top donating classes. Kelsey also received a bronze award from the Girl Scouts for her efforts. Kelsey did the drive because of her love of books.

Reach the reporter at jillfankhauser.@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, July 9, 2009.