Two Tamaqua women will be recognized for their hard work, community dedication and caring generosity during tomorrow’s (Wednesday, April 22, 2015) Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce Annual Community Dinner being held at the Mountain Valley Golf Course in Barnesville.
Amanda Woodring will receive this year’s Joseph M. Plasko Citizenship Award, while Mrs. Lynn Elko, owner of Emma’s Friends, Soaps & Lotions, will receive the first annual Business Person of the Year Award.

PRESS RELEASE ABOUT CITIZENSHIP WINNER (from Linda Yulanavage, Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce) – Mrs. Amanda Woodring will receive this year’s Joseph M. Plasko Citizenship Award because of her untiring, unselfish dedication to the less fortunate children and families in Tamaqua.
She has personally provided gifts, food and even Christmas trees for many families each year to insure that they enjoy the meaning of Christmas.  She has purchased groceries for families, when there is nowhere else for them to turn.  She constantly provides encouragement to families when their hope may be fading.
Whether it is using her own funds to provide shoes, food, winter coats and other clothing to less fortunate children and their families, or providing her own type of love and caring, Woodring is a giving woman who tries to fill the void whenever she finds or sees a need.  It is truly remarkable to see what this one person can do to help others in need.
She is a “hands-on, let’s get it done” person and her commitment to the less fortunate of the Tamaqua area has resulted in a better place for all of us.  With her unselfish donations of time and money to many projects, she personifies the meaning of the words “outstanding citizen” and is the right choice for this year’s award.
Woodring also provides support, in many ways, to a variety of great community organizations and events, but it is her special caring for other people that makes her Tamaqua Citizenship Award material.

PRESS RELEASE ABOUT BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER (from Linda Yulanavage, Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce) – Mrs. Lynn Elko, owner of Emma’s Friends, Soaps & Lotions, will receive our first annual Business Person of the Year Award. Elko has created a business here in Tamaqua that is a welcome addition to our community.  The mission of Emma’s Friends was to create a place where adults with special needs are celebrated, enabled, enjoyed, loved and productive, creative and valued.
Her dedication to serving an often underserved part of our community through her creation of meaningful, fulfilling jobs for individuals with disabilities, her unique, quality products that are manufactured right here in downtown Tamaqua, her creative displays, customer service, attention to detail are the basis for her business success.
Elko balances her roles as mother of a disabled child and as the owner of a thriving, creative business, and is an inspiration to everyone who meets her. In addition, she has been a volunteer with several non-profits, including Avenues, which is where she has met and admired the capabilities of “Emma’s Friends” and her employees.  She also offers creative fund raising opportunities to other non-profit organizations with her quality products.
Her decision to move her retail location to downtown Tamaqua has provided much more than just another business there, she has taught us all that anything is possible.  Her business anchors that area of our commercial district and provides social awareness and strength to everyone who visits.
She is a great example for all of us and her success and dedication will continue to inspire others and her story and subsequent success needs to be shared.

For more information, call the Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce at (570) 668-1880.