GAVIN BRAITHWAITE IS RECIPIENT OF THE
4TH ANNUAL DENNIS FORNEY COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

The Lewes Chamber of Commerce has selected Gavin Braithwaite as the recipient of its Fourth Annual Dennis Forney Community Service Award. The chamber’s board of directors initiated the award four years ago when Dennis Forney retired as the publisher of the Cape Gazette as a way to recognize his many years of service to numerous organizations. The first awardee was Ted Becker, followed by Murt Foos and the Lewes in Bloom organization volunteers.

Gavin moved to Lewes in 1992. He established and operated, with his wife Lou, three stores in downtown Lewes – The Stepping Stone, PUZZLES and Lewes Gourmet. He retired in 2015 and the chamber honored them with a Lifetime Chamber membership. Gavin currently volunteers for six organizations plus every day, while out walking their dog, he picks up trash with his EZ grabber. It started out as a New  Year’s resolution three years ago and has continued ever since.

The six organizations are: Lewes Public Library Development Committee; Coast Concerts Programming & Production Committees, also writing program notes for the concerts; Lewes in Bloom, working in the Fisher-Martin Herb Garden, Savannah Road medians, Gateway and Lighthouse Gardens; Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park’s Bike Barn, Trails Days and event signage; Lewes Chamber of Commerce calendar and map distributions; and Lewes Lions Club Eyeglass Recycling program-Recycle for Sight. His prior organization affiliations are: Coastal Concerts Board President; Lewes Historical Society Board and Chair of the Endowment Committee; Greater Lewes Foundation Board; Village Volunteers Advisory Board and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce Board.