Ben Negron has always had a heart for community service – something his parents instilled in him from the very beginning. That’s why it may not be a surprise, but is still a great honor, that he recently received the Lenawee Leadership Award from the Lenawee Community Foundation.
“I was floored when I found out!” Ben said. “The chairman of the Lenawee Foundation came to me to ask if I knew about the Lenawee Leader award. I thought he was coming to ask me if I had any thoughts on this year’s nominees. I’ve been asked to contribute my thoughts on other community award nominations, so I figured this was another opportunity for me to help by giving my support for someone else’s nomination. The chairman, David Hickman, smiled slowly and said, ‘No Ben, I’m not here to solicit your feedback on someone else. I’m here to let you know you have been selected as this year’s recipient!’”
The Lenawee Leadership Award is awarded each year to a person who exemplifies the principle that the future of Lenawee County will be determined by the quality of its leadership.
As Store Director at our Adrian, Mich. Meijer, Ben was selected for his work in the store, but especially for his positive impact in the community. He is a community college instructor, contributes to the boards of local nonprofit organizations, and serves on the City of Adrian’s Ethics Board.
“It’s with an incredibly gracious and humble heart that I accept and cherish this recognition,” Ben said. “Community service has long been in our family culture; my parents have been in the service of others for over 55 years as church pastors and missionaries. The second is my Meijer family who entrusts its store directors and teams to be the face of the family and business in our communities. It’s a great honor to ensure we are living the mission of Meijer through our volunteer work, philanthropy and civic engagement. It’s especially gratifying to work for a company whose values so closely match the principles of my family who taught us love, faith, charity and respect for the dignity of all in every community we lived in throughout my life.”
Click here to read more about the award from the Lenawee Community Foundation.