Honor Mark DeCracker Award

April 8, 2019 WHEREAS, A great community is only as great as those persons who provide exemplary service, whether through participation in voluntary programs, through unique personal achievement in their profession, or simply through a lifetime of good citizenship; and WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has given not only of his time and energies but also of his competence, intelligence and leadership and consequently has been designated for special recognition; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Mark DeCracker upon the occasion of being named the 2018 Citizen of the Year by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and Lyons Main Street Program to be celebrated with a dinner on Monday, April 8, 2019, at Maitre D' at Trombino's, Lyons, New York; and WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker attended Finger Lakes Community College, Monroe Community College, and Arizona State University, where he graduated in 1977, earning a degree in outdoor recreation; and WHEREAS, This industrious man worked as a recreation leader at Alex Eligh Community Center from 1977-1979; he then was employed as a senior recreation therapist at Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service Office from 1979-2010, where he continued until his retirement in 2010; and WHEREAS, In 1988, Mark DeCracker started a business, Past and Present Personal Videos, a complete event videotaping service in the Finger Lakes and Wayne County; and WHEREAS, A lifelong advocate for the town of Lyons and the Finger Lakes region, Mark DeCracker founded Erie's Restoration Interests Everyone (ERIE) in 1988, an organization that works for the revitalization and restoration of the Erie Canal; and WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has been called upon to contribute his time and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and has always given of himself unstintingly; and WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has been a vital part of his beloved community for most of his life; he held the esteemed position of President of the Lyons Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2010; and WHEREAS, In 1997, Mark DeCracker and his wife, Diane, opened a bed and breakfast, Peppermint Cottage, where they now reside; and WHEREAS, In 2007, Mark DeCracker and the late Noel Dobbins founded Mural Mania, the Preservation of History through Community Art; Mural Mania was selected to host the 2016 Global Mural Conference in Fairport, New York, and in 2010, received the Erie Canalway Award of Excellence Honorable Mention; and WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker established the Forever Wild for Everyone accessibility trails into nature; one of these trails, the Trail of Hope in Lyons, received the Outside the Box Award from Parks and Trails of New York, and the Erie Canalway Award of Excellence Honorable Mention; and WHEREAS, Currently, Mark DeCracker serves as President of Trail Works Inc., an organization dedicated to the development and enjoyment of hiking trails in Wayne County; as an avid hiker and skier, he joined the Adirondack 46er club, completing all 46 peaks in 1986; and WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Diane, with him throughout have been his three daughters, Jessica, Colleen and Hannah, as well as three grandchildren, Anderson, Cal, and Brianna, all of whom feel privileged to be a part of his life and rejoice in his achievements; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Mark DeCracker upon the occasion of being named the 2018 Citizen of the Year by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and Lyons Main Street Program on April 8, 2019; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Mark DeCracker.