The Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg awarded its 2017 Citizen of the Year Award to Anna Buchanan Martin at its April 10 meeting.

“This award allows our community and Rotary to recognize a volunteer with outstanding leadership and citizenship who demonstrates exemplary vision, civic pride and true commitment to the betterment of Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County,” said Dr. Doug McAlister, chairperson of the club’s award committee.

Martin has volunteered for the Montgomery County Christmas Store for the past 19 years. During that time, she has focused on year-round acquisition of donations; been a buyer for the Girls Department and for plus-size clothing in the Senior Department; donated low-sodium and low-sugar food; donated and advocated for new sock and underwear donations; volunteered for the Girls Department; been an active fundraiser and manned the Belk Charity Sale at the New River Valley Mall.

Martin’s volunteer efforts at the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley over the last 15 years have included year-round acquisition and delivery of donations and donation drives for school supplies, pillows and bedding, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and paper goods as well as fundraising consulting and advocacy.

While Martin focuses much of her effort on the Montgomery County Christmas Store and the Women’s Resource Center, she has helped many other nonprofit organizations in the New River Valley as a donating artist and a volunteer fundraising consultant including the VT Hahn Horticulture Garden, NRV Cares, United Way of Montgomery County, American Cancer Foundation, Community Foundation of the New River Valley, High Street Baptist Church, YMCA at VT, New River Valley Family Shelter, the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center, the Christiansburg Institute and Katie’s Krops.

Martin calls volunteerism her hobby and credits her husband, George, with much patience for the many odd donations she stores before they get to their final charitable location. Martin’s coworkers in University Development at Virginia Tech have helped cultivate her hobby by naming her as their Charity Project Coordinator. In addition to coordinating donation drives for the Women’s Resource Center and Virginia Tech Career Outfitters and holiday toy drives for the Christmas Store, the Women’s Resource Center, and the Salvation Army Angel tree, Martin serves as a charitable donation clearinghouse for her coworkers – referring to charities that have common goals with the donor and even making deliveries for them.

The Citizen of the Year Award is just one of many manifestations of the Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg’s motto: “Service Above Self.” For more information about Rotary, visit www.rotary7570.org.

— Submitted by Terri Fisher