During the pandemic, Discovery Bay’s Cindy Patterson volunteered her time to make sure the small town’s Chamber of Commerce remained a viable organization. At the same time, businesses were forced to close their doors. During the chamber’s Jan. 28 annual State of the Town Dinner, Patterson’s hard work was recognized as she was honored with the town’s top citizen award.

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“For the last three years, I have dedicated myself to the Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce,” she said. “It was challenging to keep the chamber alive for small businesses through COVID-19. It was important to continue sharing information, mixers, food trucks and other events. I volunteer many hours because I want to make sure events run smoothly and are successful.”

The annual State of the Town Dinner is not just a night to dress up and take in a casino game or two but also the time when town residents and businesses recognize the good deeds done by those in the community. During the evening, the Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce honored three with its highest community awards.

The awards, the Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year and Nonprofit Organization of the Year, are voted on through an online poll but are kept secret until the night of the dinner. As with the previous years, the top three nominees in each category were announced through social media and throughout the community. Information is disseminated on how to vote for the winners. Individuals can vote only once, and then the votes are tallied through a computer program.

The owners of Discovery Bay Marina won the award for Business of the Year and Rhodie’s Rescue, a local dog rescue group, were named the Nonprofit Organization of the Year. Three Discovery Bay residents (all in the 94505 ZIP code) — Patterson, Frank Morgan and Lisa Combs — were nominated for Citizen of the Year. Patterson said the other nominees were both excellent choices.

“I was quite surprised I won. It was nice to hear everyone’s comments,” she said. “You don’t pat yourself on the back very often.”

Patterson said she is a lifelong volunteer. When she and husband Bob moved to Discovery Bay in 1997, she picked up where she left off before moving from San Jose with the organization A Friendly Visitor. In Discovery Bay she worked with an elderly resident by visiting weekly, sharing meals, shopping or sometimes just watching a movie with her.

“I committed to ‘Irene’ for over three years until she passed,” Patterson said. “It was simple to make our elders happy. Filling the void.”

She later began with the Splasher at Discovery Bay Yacht Club for several years, where she worked as a leader on many fundraisers. She remembers some of the most memorable experiences with that group picking families in need from local schools and helping them by providing Thanksgiving dinners and granting Christmas wishes for children.

Patterson and her husband opened their own business, All In One Limousine, in 2018. Through her company, she continued to support the community by offering limousine services for military personnel coming home from service, thanking first responders and donating to schools by providing free rides to school functions, free limousine packages for fundraisers all over the county, as well as to groups like Make a Wish, the Cancer Society, Red Heart, golf tournaments, Big Cat, Wine on the Bay, churches and many nonprofits.

“Kids know me as the ‘Limo Lady,’ and it brings me joy,” she said. “I have, and always will, be a volunteer and will continue donating to our wonderful community. I love it and can’t say ‘no.’ ”

Roni Gehlke can be reached at [email protected].