Ogeechee Riverkeeper recognized some of their most dedicated supporters Saturday with an awards ceremony during the nonprofit organization’s annual meeting which attracted nearly 100 attendees.

The event – which also served to celebrate ORK’s 10-year anniversary – was held at Love’s Seafood Restaurant, a popular Savannah eatery and longtime proponent of Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s work and the waterway itself.

After attendees sampled a delicious array of appetizers, including fried shrimp, fish tacos and black and bleu chips, they enjoyed live musical entertainment provided by Waits & Co., and were brought up to speed on the progress and development of the river and the organization. To cap off the festive evening, Emily Markesteyn presented this year’s Riverkeeper Awards to a handful of well-deserving supporters.

This year’s Individual Volunteer Award went to Kelly Weber for her long-standing service to the organization in water monitoring as well as consistently assisting and participating at ORK events.  Statesboro High School was named Education Partner of the Year for their eager participation in Adopt a Stream and the duck pond initiative.  Green Truck Pub earned the distinction as Business of the Year for their consistent generosity, willingly hosting frequent fundraising events and vocal support and endorsement of Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s important work.  Monique Gordon and Rochelle Coatney received the Excellence in Water Monitoring Award for their eager participation in Ogeechee Riverkeeper initiatives and their above and beyond consistent monitoring of many sites in the Ogeechee watershed.  Ogeechee Riverkeeper, retiring board member Ann Hartzell was delighted to be named this year’s Legacy Award winner. Hartzell led the organization through the challenging fish kill crisis which culminated in the clean water act lawsuit, the non-profit organization’s most significant achievement to date. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to honor the people, businesses and organizations who work so hard to help ensure our continued success. ORK’s goal is to protect, preserve and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, but we could not do that without our solid support base. To the award winners and all of our volunteers and helpers, we’re so grateful,” Markesteyn said. “Also, a big thank-you to Love’s Seafood, Waits & Co., and all the others who helped make our annual meeting a success.”

To celebrate a decade in existence, ORK also launched a newly revamped paddle program, hosted Paddle Georgia and has participated in other events to raise awareness.

To learn more about Ogeechee Riverkeeper, please visit www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org or call 866-942-6222.