Lynn Bucossi and Chris Zizza accept the 2013 Chamber Member of the Year Award.

C&R Flooring's President Chris Zizza, along with fellow co-founders, Lynn Bucossi and Kevin Ryan, of the Friends of the Valley Foundation  are the recent recipients of the 2013 Chamber Member of the Year Award, presented annually by the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The 2013 Annual Chamber Gala held at the Grand Summit Hotel in West Dover, Vt. honored and recognized exceptional chamber member organizations that have made a significant impact in the area. Nominations were solicited from across the community for the awards. The sold-out dinner was well attended by local business owners, employees, and community members. 

Since its inception, the Friends of the Valley Foundation has raised funds to help the Deerfield Valley, Vt. area with a number of worthwhile causes. With the board’s mission statement of, “In the Valley, For the Valley” the foundation holds yearly golf tournaments and other activities to raise money for grants and scholarships to honor those in the community. The foundation spearheaded awareness and raised funds for local businesses when the town of Wilmington sustained severe damage after tropical storm Irene swept through the east coast in 2011, and was instrumental in the total rebuild  of the community’s landmark  North Star Bowl, which was completely destroyed by the floods.  

“To quote the late Laramie Bucossi, father of my fellow award recipient, Lynn Bucossi, ‘You don’t do things for credit, you do them because they have to get done,’” says co-founder of the foundation, Chris Zizza.  “However being recognized by the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce is a remarkable validation for our foundation and I couldn’t be prouder. The Valley has truly been a very special place for Lynn, Kevin and me and we are blessed to be a part of such a grounded, close-knit community and we want thank the entire Valley for their past, current and future support.”

The Friends of the Valley Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 charity. All donations are tax deductable. For more information about the organization or to make a donation, visit www.friendsofdeerfieldvalley.org.