Seward County Community Service Award

Since 1969, the community of Seward has honored an individual that has given service to the State of Nebraska with the annual “Nebraskan’s Friend Award.”  This award is presented to an individual based on service to the entire state.

The Seward Fourth of July Celebration Committee also wanted to honor a local resident that has been an outstanding volunteer in the greater Seward area.  Nominations are presented to the committee and narrowed to about six or less.  The six candidates are interviewed by a reporter from the Seward County Independent and the article runs in the first edition of their May issues.  A ballot is printed in the Seward County Independent for four weeks and the candidates are voted on by the general public during the month of May.

The ballots are counted on the first of June and the winner is announced at the Seward Chamber of Commerce’s annual July 4 Kick-Off Luncheon at the Civic Center at noon on the second Tuesday of the month.  All the candidates are introduced and honored and presented with certificates of appreciation.  It should be noted that in previous years, the winner of the award was not announced until the end of the day and they were honored the next year.  That tradition was changed to make the honor in sync with the vote by the public.  Now the winner is honored the year it is announced.

The winner is announced and presented with a plaque, sponsored by the Seward VFW Auxiliary Post 4755.  The award is co-sponsored by the Seward Fourth of July Celebration Committee, the Seward County Independent and the Seward VFW Post 4755 Auxilary.

A plaque was donated by the Jones National Bank and Trust to the Committee, with the engraved names of all the Seward County Community Service Awardees and hangs in the Civic Center.  The name or names of the new winner is added yearly.

The winner is then one of our honored guests on July 4, attends the Governor’s Reception with their family, rides in the parade with their family and is honored at 6:00 pm on the Fourth at the Band shell official welcome.

Candidates for 2008 are
Virginia Hughes of Seward, Dr. Robert  Wergin of Milford, Lyn Hemphill of Utica and Arlo Bower of Seward.

The winner of the 2008 Seward County Community Service Award is
Lyn Hemphill of Utica.  She and her family will be honored on the 4th of July Celebration in Seward.  It was announced by Rev. Lowell Myers, the project chairman for the Fourth of July Committee and Jean Kolterman, the recipient of the first Seward County Community Service Award in 1969 at the June 10th, 2008 Fourth of July Kick-Off Luncheon.

Note: Previous winners and candidates will be added to this website after the Fourth. For a complete listing, contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce office at 616 Bradford Avenue, Seward, NE 68434.