The Osceola Chamber will host our 99th Annual Meeting on February 3, 2024 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Every year at this event, attendees look forward to learning who will take home our major awards, including the Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award and the Guillermo Hansen Unity Award. We are now accepting applications for both awards through December 22, 2023.
Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award Nomination Form
The Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award is named after Linda Goodwin-Nichols of Goodwin Realty & Associates, two-time Chairman of The Osceola Chamber Board of Directors, and a stalwart of Osceola’s Business Community for over 40 years. Throughout her career, Linda has epitomized community involvement and giving back selflessly, and this award honors an individual who will carry on her legacy. Recent past winners include Kelly Trace, Larry Walter, and Rev. Mary Downey. Click on the link above to nominate deserving individuals for this award.
Guillermo Hansen Unity Award Nomination Form
To recognize the importance of the Chamber’s core values of “Embracing Heritage,” “Creating Opportunity,” and “Building Unity,” and our partners who promote them, in January of 2018 Chairman Tim Finkenbinder announced the creation of an award to emphasize these values – particularly “Building Unity.” 2024 will mark the fifth presentation of this award. The Osceola community was saddened by the loss earlier this year of Guillermo “Bill” Hansen, the inaugural winner of this award and owner and editor of El Osceola Star Newspaper. Guillermo was a longtime Chamber member who was also a community leader known for building bridges among the diverse populations of Osceola County. As an example of what this award exemplifies, it was renamed in his honor this year. Click on the link above to nominate deserving individuals for this award.
Nominees will receive an application to complete and winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. The top three finalists will be announced ahead of The Osceola Chamber’s Annual Meeting on February 3, 2024 and the award recipient will be revealed at the event.
Last week our Young Professionals recognized eight new Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Award recipients for the year 2023. Each year the YPs honor a new group of outstanding individuals age 40 and under. Candidates are nominated by their coworkers or peers before completing a detailed application. The only requirement is that they live or work in Osceola County. A selection committee comprised of past winners and community leaders then scores the applications to determine a class of 5 to 10 winners.
This year, eight remarkable individuals were chosen. This diverse group included Steps Foundation founder Abigail Ellis, Elev8 Mortgage’s Ulysses Escobar, City of Kissimmee Redevelopment Planner Benjamin Burnett, El Osceola Star owner & editor Yanin Hansen, Ufuoma, Incorporated founder Nicole Abodo, JP Morgan Chase Bank’s Edgardo Salgado, Dorsainvil Creative Group owner and Haitians Who Blog founder Shirley Dor, and Vision Osceola founder and Hello Website Design owner Alyssa Noel. You can read more about them and their accomplishments at the Young Professionals Facebook page.
These eight professionals and their accomplishments were celebrated at an awards reception at The Heritage Club at Osceola Heritage Park surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, as well as members of the Young Professionals Board of Directors. Attendees enjoyed light bites, a full bar, and time for networking between awards.
Be on the lookout in 2024 to nominate next year’s batch of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!
Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Want to get involved with the Young Professionals? Look for invitations to the Young Professionals Coalition meetings beginning in 2024!
Gallery of Award Winners & Event Gallery
Every October we see a sudden onslaught of pink. Pink ribbons, pink logos on some of our favorite brands, and pink-themed events and fundraisers are all common sights throughout the month of October.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and all that pink is there to make sure we don't forget it!
As for all healthcare providers, October is an important outreach month for our friends at AdventHealth. For years now, they have used Breast Cancer Awareness Month to hold their Pink on Parade 5K in Celebration and raise money for Breast Cancer awareness and research. This year the Chamber had a team and we were able to raise over $250 dollars, which was then matched by proceeds from the event for a total of $565. Pink on Parade was a fun and healthy start to a pleasantly chilly morning, and a great opportunity for fresh air and exercise while supporting an important cause.
Just over a week later, the Chamber and Advent Health teamed up again - this time to host a Pink Tea Party at the gorgeous Ette hotel just off Highway 192 on Sherberth Road. Attendees showed up in their finest hats and fascinators, and many wore pink.
Attendees chose from the hotel's selection of black, white, green, herbal, and blue teas, and each enjoyed their own pot along with finger sandwiches, scones with cream, and a dessert selection. Dr. Jeremy John, a Breast Oncology Surgeon with Advent Health, spoke about the importance of breast health, and Samantha Muhlbach, Advent Health Breast Care Coordinator - Breast Health Education, spoke of the importance of regular mammograms, age-appropriate breast examination, the role or genetics, and more. Finally, Erika Donoso, a breast cancer survivor, shared her own personal experience with cancer and with Advent Health's team. The morning capped off with a Chamber Trivia contest and a Fancy Hat contest. Winners received prizes including Walt Disney World tickets and a stay at the Ette hotel.
Gallery of Attendees, Tea Time, Speakers & Contest Winners
