The Chamber’s newest award is presented to an individual, couple or organization that has made a substantive yet unrecognized contribution to our community. The award recognizes recipient(s) who have influenced our community from behind the scenes with a positive attitude, a willingness to help in a variety of capacities, and a commitment to excellence.
The first recipients of the Community Champion Award are Elaine and Keith Knowlton of Brooklyn.
The Knowltons received numerous letters of endorsement that accompanied their nomination for this award that all rang with a common theme in that their tireless efforts and their financial generosity to numerous organizations are truly incredible.  One endorsement noted that the Knowltons “are the most humble, selfless, caring, and generous people” that the writer has ever had the opportunity to know.
The Knowltons are well known for their many years of tireless efforts on behalf of the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Museum to promote the history of Brooklyn in northeastern CT.  They have also been members of the Last Green Valley for more than a decade and have been credited with bringing history to life in The Last Green Valley.  The Knowltons have also been dedicated and very supportive donors of Old Sturbridge Village for a number of years.  They attend many Village programs and events and have been the sponsors of an Annual Fund Challenge where they match dollar for dollar funds raised to support field trips for students from Connecticut to tour Old Sturbridge Village. Their inspiration and generosity has raised almost $100,000 in sponsorship dollars and brought thousands of Connecticut students to the Village.  This year, their support had even more of an impact in that they sponsored free admission to the Village for Connecticut residents on Saturdays this past November.  On November 13th when the letter in support of the Knowltons was written, more than 1,000 Connecticut residents had already visited the museum, thanks to the generosity of Elaine and Keith Knowlton.  The Knowltons have been described as “the most down to earth and easy going people you would ever want to meet …and are people who are clearly committed to celebrating and preserving the history of Connecticut and New England.”
In addition, the Knowltons have been significant financial supporters of the Cancer Crusade, an organization that is very important to the local Oncology efforts at Day Kimball Healthcare. One nominator wrote “it is best to summed up with, Keith and Elaine exemplify all of the qualities of excellent citizenship and civic generosity.”
Business Leader of The Year Award - An award presented to an individual for outstanding business leadership, creative or innovative approaches to success and active participation in community organizations.  The Committee’s selection is Matt Desaulnier, president of Gerardi Insurance of Putnam