Four stalwart community leaders were awarded for their contributions to the county and community Thursday afternoon at The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Montgomery County's "A Celebration of Community" event.
At the Montgomery Township Community and Recreation Center, the Chamber recognized Laurel House Executive Director Beth Sturman and retired North Wales Library Director Jayne Blackledge each with the Nonprofit Leadership Award, Lower Gwynedd Township Police Sgt. William "Townie" Henry with the Hometown Hero Award, and Movement Mortgage's David Heins with the Community Service Award.
Merck Sharpe & Dohme Federal Credit Union was honored with the Corporate Citizenship Award.
Beth Sturman Sturman has served as executive director of Laurel House since 2005, according to the awards presentation. She moved from the West Coast in 1999 and served as program coordinator for a criminal justice diversion program and Director of Residential Services for Project H.O.M.E. in Philadelphia.
She received her master’s in public administration from Cal State East Bay in the San Francisco Bay area and worked with families of children and adults with developmental disabilities, according to the Chamber. Sturman also worked at a domestic violence agency and was executive director for the San Leandro Shelter for Women and Children.
According to the presentation, Sturman has one grown son, a stepson on the West Coast, two granddaughters, a great-grandson, a great-granddaughter and two dogs.
Jayne BlackledgeAccording to the Chamber, the North Wales Area Library has always been a part of Blackledge’s life. The North Wales native grew up in the town during a time when the library and elementary school were one entity.
Blackledge’s mother, Dorothy Rorer, volunteered at the library, and Blackledge was bit by the book bug in third grade. Rorer eventually became library director and Blackledge encouraged her mom to focus on more youth programming at the library, thus starting the first summer reading club for children in 1986.
“In the ensuring years, the success of programs made clear the need for additional space,” stated the event program biography on Blackledge. “When the North Penn School District notified the Library Board of Directors that the library lease would not be renewed, the Board made the commitment to continue the library and began the search for a new location in the Borough of North Wales.”
The library renovated an existing building and moved from a 3,000-square-foot location to a 10,000-square-foot location. Under Blackledge’s leadership, the library won a Montgomery Award for renovations to an existing building, as well as an All Star American Library award, a PA Gold Star Award, and a 2023 Adult Program of the Year award.
Blackledge and her husband have been married 51 years and have three children and eight grandchildren.
“It’s been my honor to serve the North Penn community in my role as library director,” Blackledge said.
Sgt. William "Townie" Henry “Townie” was born and raised in Ambler and graduated from Wissahickon High School in 1990, where he was a multi-athlete in football, baseball and wrestling. After high school, Henry headed to Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where he played collegiate football, according to the Chamber.
In 1987, Townie began his life of service, joining Wissahickon Fire Company of Ambler. He propelled through the ranks due to his hard work and determination, and earned him the position of Assistant Fire Chief. Today, Townie is a Life Active member of the fire company, serving as a firefighter and engineer. He is also a member of Goshen Fire Co. in West Chester, per the Chamber.
Ten years after joining the fire company, Townie landed a job as a police dispatcher for Lower Gwynedd Township Police. Then, in 1998, he went through the police academy, a testament to his determination, said the Chamber.
“His hard work paid off when he was hired by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, serving in the Warrant Unit,” stated the Chamber’s event program on Henry. “His career continued to flourish when he was later hired by the Lansdale Borough Police Department.”
Townie was hired by Lower Gwynedd Township Police in August 2001, working in patrol and as a Field Training Officer. In Summer 2022, Townie was chosen to build up the new Community Response Unit of the police department, and today serves as supervisor of the unit.
Townie was promoted to sergeant in January.
David Heins Community service has been a part of Michigan-born Heins’ life since high school, according to the Chamber.
During his high school sophomore year, Heins was selected by the Rotary District and Cass City Rotary Club to be a part of its Rotary Youth Exchange Program and spent his junior year in Newcastle, Australia. Heins was also named Co-Junior Citizen of the Year for his community involvement by the Cass City Chamber.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in business management from Central Michigan University, Heins landed a gig in the hospitality industry. A transition in his job to Information Technology brought Heins and his family to Montgomery County in 2007, according to the Chamber.
Since coming to the county, Heins immersed himself in even more community outreach and support as either a board member or fundraising committee member of organizations like The 365 Foundation, Alpha Resource Center, Cradles to Crayons, Montgomery Elementary School, Montgomery County Community College, The Chamber for Greater Montgomery County, and Blue Bell Rotary Club, according to the Chamber.
As committee chair on the Blue Bell Rotary, Heins has spearheaded fundraisers like the Rotary’s golfing extravaganza and its pancake breakfast for second responders. In 2015, he was awarded the Blue Bell Rotary Club’s Service Above Self award and was the Rotary’s president from 2016-17.
In January 2023, according to the Chamber, Heins joined 11 other volunteers in Kenya, where they provided oral health care to three orphanages, helping more than 500 children and villagers.
Since 2011, Heins has been senior loan officer with Mortgage Network/Movement Mortgage. He enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, golfing, surfing in Long Beach Island, and cooking and is the father of son Davison and James Madison University student Kylin, his daughter.
Dana DeFilippis, CEO of Merck Sharp & Dohme FCUMerck Sharpe & Dohme Federal Credit Union CEO Dana DeFilippis accepted the Corporate Citizenship Award from the Chamber.
The nonprofit financial cooperative serves families and employees of Merck and more than 400 local employers and organizations, according to the Chamber.
In 75 years, the credit union went from a small institution operated by Merck volunteers to an $800 million financial institution with seven branches and more than 32,000 members worldwide.
According to the Chamber, the credit union is worthy of the award due to the financial institution and its employees enforcing its “People Helping People” philosophy.
“Our corporate philosophy has grown from donating to local charities and organizations, creating a charitable foundation (New Britain Charitable Foundation) to encompassing corporate social responsibility,” stated the Chamber’s event program. “They see the value of tying corporate philanthropy and social responsibility with their business strategy as a win for all by creating more significant social and economic benefits for those they serve.”
