Tamaqua area resident Peggy Zimmerman will be honored with the national American Cancer Society’s Chairman Award for 50 years of volunteer service to the ACS during the annual kick-off dinner for the Carbon-Tamaqua Telethon March 30.
Peggy has worked with four local ACS unit directors: B.B. Hobin, Milladine McFadden, Arlene Dombrosky and Pat Haughton. She began her ACS volunteer career back in the 1960s doing door-to-door fundraising. Over the years she has served on the Carbon-Tamaqua ACS Unit’s supervisory board and participated in numerous ACS activities including “I’m a Dragon,” a program presented to school-age children about the hazards of smoking.
She has worked on Daffodil Days, the Relay for Life and the “Nurse of Hope” program, a sort of beauty contest for area nurses. She served as an organizer for the annual raft race and picnic and she has convinced other organizations to become ACS supporters.
She and fellow Beta Sigma Phi social sorority members helped make dressings for cancer patients, stuffed enveloped and did anything else that needed to be done at the local office.
The Carbon-Tamaqua Telethon benefiting the American Cancer Society is observing its 35^th anniversary this year. After the first telethon done by the Media Club at Tamaqua Area High School for Muscular Dystrophy, Peggy and Pat Haughton convinced its organizers to work, instead, with the American Cancer Society because the majority of the money raised, at that time, stayed in the area helping local people.
This year’s telethon airs April 5 and 6 from noon to midnight both days.
Peggy says her involvement has been driven by two cancer survivors in her family: her mother-in-law Emma Zimmerman and her Aunt Ellie Kimmel.
“I like nothing better than to do for others,” she says, “to help others like members of my family have been helped.”
She says she’s enjoyed the various opportunities she’s had to serve the ACS, but what she really likes to do is cook and bake. So it was only natural that when she decided those working on the telethon needed to be fed, she would feed them. She and her sister, Deb Danchak, started “Peggy’s Kitchen” which provided food to everyone working on the telethon for many years.
Peggy has also been active in her church, Faith United Church of Christ in Landingville,  and politics. She served as vice chair of the Schuylkill County Republican Party from 1980 to 2000 and was Schuylkill County Jury Commissioner for 24 years until the position was eliminated last year.
She is the wife of Ronald Zimmerman. They have a son, Wayne, who lives and works in Virginia, eight grand children, seven great-grand children and a great-great grandchild on the way.
Tickets for the telethon kick-off dinner are available by contacting Kathy Dombrosky at (570) 573-2807 or by email at katdombrosky@yahoo.com.

TIMELINE FOR PEGGY ZIMMERMAN:
1964: Began volunteer work doing door-to-door fundraising.
1972: Meets Pat Haughton.
1972-1973: “I’m a Dragon” anti-smoking campaign.
1974: Began work as Daffodil Day volunteer.
1975-1980: Works with Nurse of Hope program.
1975: Works with the “Optiscopic Lung” anti-smoking campaign.
1976: Joins Caron-Tamaqua ACS unit board.
1970s and 80s: Raft race volunteer.
1980-2007: Operates “Peggy’s Kitchen” at annual telethon.
1985: Orchestrates making of daffodil quilt for ACS Auction.
1997: Telethon “Volunteer of the Year”.
1999: Leaves unit board.
Present day: Continues to help with telethon and its various activities.

OTHER BANQUET HONOREES:
Lee Shafer/Shafer’s Pharmacy to receive “Business Patron” award for 35 consecutive years of Sponsorship of ACS Telethon.
Hope’s Mini Mart to receive “Fundraiser Spotlight” award for their innovative, year-round fundraising.
Maury Rutch/Shellshocked Churchhills to receive the “Cancer Fighter” award for years of telethon performances and benefit fundraisers.
Kim Semmel/Dance with Kim to receive Patricia A. Haughton award for years of direct fundraising and telethon performances.
Andrew Leibenguth to receive CancerTelethon “Generation Next” award for his work in bringing ACS Telethon to new audience through online streaming.
Kathy Dombrosky to receive the CancerTelethon “Volunteer Extreme” award for years as a “go-to” volunteer in a range of roles at the Carbon-Tamaqua Unit.