MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Community Foundation of Marquette County (CFMC) held its annual gala on Wednesday to look back on this past year.
The gala included dinner and music from the Marquette String Orchestra, and an award ceremony to recognize some of the people making Marquette County better
“This community is so generous, our board of trustees, our volunteers, our donors, our partners are here, and we’re really here to kind of step back and look at the impact over the past year and the decades,” said Zosia Eppensteiner, CFMC’s CEO. “Every year we recognize individuals, business, non-profit organizations in the community that truly make a difference. It is also an opportunity to share some of the work that we have been doing through grants and scholarships.”
The Service Organization award, was given to the 906 Adventure Team, which helps people of all ages experience the outdoors in the UP.
“We are trying to help people discover the nest version of themselves through outdoor adventure,” said 906 Adventure Team director Todd Poquette. “By presenting programs and events that challenge them to do hard things.”
Poquette said this is an important milestone for them and they couldn’t have done it alone.
“This is our ten year anniversary this year so to receive this award at this point in the year is just a validation of what everybody’s done for us since 2014,” said Poquette.
Poquette also says events like these reflect the importance of cooperation among organizations to help improve the community.
“We may all have different roles that we lay within the community,” said Poquette. “But it is very important to have synergy amongst the things we’re doing and the people that do them in order to achieve the best version of our community.”
Other awards included the Youth Award, which was given to Nolan Dixon, the Individual Award given to Laura MacDonald, the Business Award given to the Up North Lodge, and the Posthumous Individual Award given to Tom Baldini.
