FAIRMONT - What does Community Education and Recreation have to do with business? A lot, according to Wes Pruett, who gave out the chairman's award this week for the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce.
Roni Dauer, director of the CER office in Fairmont, was the recipient.
"A big part of Roni's job is the planning and administration of community education and recreation," Pruett said. "This is important to our business community in a number of ways. If you look at the rather lengthy program of events that is sent out each quarter, you'll see that there are many opportunities that target adult learners. These programs help adults learn and grow and develop useful skills. Having a capable workforce is clearly in our best interest."
The work Dauer and her staff do create opportunities that help make Fairmont an attractive place to live, Pruett added.
"People moving to our community want to know that it is vibrant, involved and progressive," he said. "Roni makes that happen."
These opportunities include classes ranging from paranormal investigating, to upholstery, to dance, to computer software.
"CER classes are just the beginning," Pruett said. "I don't know Roni's middle name, but it should be 'Collaboration.'"
Her strength, according to Pruett, is Dauer's ability to bring people together to create a sense of community. Besides CER, she also supports:
o Kids Against Hunger
o Fairmont Park Board
o Safe Routes to School
o Downtown Revitalization Council
o Second Harvest
o Early Childhood and Family Education
o Martin County Leadership program
o SHIP grant programs.
Recently, Dauer has been promoting Martin County Voices, a program to help seniors be more involved in the community.
In typical Dauer fashion, she was quick to deflect praise onto others, thanking her best friend and husband, Chuck, and her staff.
"Chuck keeps me grounded in my priorities of faith, family and friends," she said. "I also could not do my job, which I love, without the support of an amazing staff, especially my co-worker Kris Seifert - she moves mountains and keeps CER functioning."
She also commended Fairmont for being a "community of unsung heroes," from the servicemen and women, who protect our country; to the parent volunteers; to the people who donated their time to pack more than 127,000 meals for the recent Kids Against Hunger event; to the businesses, Chamber of Commerce and others that support programs like CER.
"I feel very blessed to be able to live in such a community and work with all ages in such diverse and challenges activities," Dauer said. "I love going to work. ... Learning truly is a lifelong adventure for me."
