The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association Board honored Mary Kot and Ted Varney with the organization’s Citizen of the Year Awards. The event, held on Dec. 15 at Pescatore’s Restaurant, recognizes residents who have demonstrated extraordinary community service on behalf of Chadds Ford residents and businesses.

The 2020 Citizen of the Year, Ted Varney was recognized for 30 years of volunteer work with the Rachel Kohl Library and the local Boy Scouts. He was also honored for his contributions as an Eagle Scout Project Advisor and overseeing remote camping experiences at the Haliburton Scout Reserve in Ontario, Canada.

Varney’s honor was delayed a year because of the COVID pandemic.

Mary Kot, the 2021 Citizen of the Year, was recognized for more than 25 years of volunteer work with numerous local organizations including the Civic Association of Chadds Ford Township, the Chadds Ford Township Municipal office, and the local Republican Party. Mary was also president of the Unionville High School PTO and worked on the school’s After Prom event for many years.

According to Phil Wenrich, president of the association, Kot is “one of the nicest, sweetest and kindest people I have met in my life and a person who is impossible to say no to when she would ask you to do something.”

Regarding Varney, Wenrich said, “Ted is a man who has always been there for the kids as well as all the residents of Chadds Ford Township and the surrounding areas. He is honest, wholesome, and does everything with grace.”

The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association is a volunteer, non-profit civic organization devoted to supporting the residents and businesses of Chadds Ford Township. Its mission is to foster a strong sense of community and help retain the area’s unique cultural history and character.

(Story and photos courtesy of Jesse Sheppard, of the Chadds Ford Residents Association.)