First Responders Honored at Chamber Luncheon

Representatives of three different first responder organizations were honored at a special luncheon organized by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce. The event, held at the Lake Wales Arts Center on Thursday, is the second such annual recognition event run by the Chamber, and apparently the only one in this part of Florida.

The top honorees, Firefighter EMT George Gibson of Polk County Fire & Rescue, (LtoR) Deputy Sheriff Steven Mills of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, and Officer Terry Schulze of the Lake Wales Police Department, each received special recognition before a crowd of several dozen local business and community leaders, joined by representatives of the local first-responders organizations.

"It's such a classy affair," said attendee Mark Graham of Mahalak Auto Group. "It's very moving to see the people who put their lives on the line." Mahalak Auto Group, owners of Lake Wales Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, was one of the corporate sponsors of the luncheon, along with AdventHealth Lake Wales Medical Center.

Chamber Services & Events Coordinator Lori Beyer did much of the organizing for the event, and we very pleased with the result, thanking the "Chamber members and community for the great turnout ," adding that "Skip (Alford, Chamber executive director), Allison (Snyder, the Chamber's accountant) and I felt that the event was a total success and are looking forward to next year. Congratulations to the recipients!"

"The Chamber does a really great job," Graham said. "There's something really different about Lake Wales, a more home-town feel," he added.