A bookshop owner, folk musician and community activist were each honored Thursday night during the 20th annual East Lansing Crystal Awards ceremony.
The award is given to three residents who have made strides to improve the quality of life in East Lansing.
This year's winners were chosen by a seven-person committee from among 28 nominees and eight finalists.
"It's a very impressive number," Mayor Pro Tem Vic Loomis said of this year's competition.
Criteria in determining the winner includes the person's demonstration of leadership, impact on the community's well-being and contributing to the growth of human understanding within the city, Loomis said.
East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh emphasized the strong community spirit of the city and how the Crystal Award recognizes that quality.
"It's that spirit of volunteerism that has indeed changed our community," Singh said.
This year's recipients were Ray Walsh, owner of Curious Book Shop, 307 E. Grand River Ave.; and Archives Book Shop, 517 W. Grand River Ave.; Sally Potter, founder of East Lansing's Mid-Winter Singing Festival; and Susan Schmidt, volunteer for several city boards and committees.
Walsh, a 1971 MSU graduate, opened Curious Book Shop and Archives Book Shop in 1971 and 1987, respectively.
His commitment to literature and education during the past 35 years has made him an honorable candidate for the award, Loomis said.
"It's nice to be an asset to the community and be appreciated," Walsh said.
Potter's passion for folk music has helped enrich the East Lansing community for several years, Loomis said.
In 2003, Potter introduced the Mid-Winter Singing Festival to East Lansing, which celebrated its fourth year anniversary this February.
Even as the audience realized Potter was a winner of the award, Potter was visibly shocked when her name was called.
"I had no idea — I thought we were just going to sing a song," she said, jokingly.
Schmidt moved to East Lansing in the early a. Since then she has actively participated in the East Lansing School District and city government, as well as helping coordinate Project Pride, East Lansing's spring cleanup and recycling program.
Loomis described his personal experiences with Schmidt's active volunteerism, such as repeated phone calls Schmidt made looking to volunteer for various East Lansing projects.
"I started dodging her phone calls because she's very dogged," Loomis said.
"Then, she called my wife."
Schmidt said she enjoys volunteering in the city because it allows her to meet all the various community members.
"You all know what it's like to volunteer," she said. "It fills you up."
