Every year, as part of the Celebrate Campbell Awards Dinner event, the Campbell Chamber of Commerce invites us (Downtown Campbell Business Association) to name a person to honor for their contributions to our little fun village of Downtown Campbell in the previous year.

This year, we cheated. We couldn't narrow it down to just one person to give the award to. Our persons of the year for 2019 are Michael Sanders and Mark Thornton. They're a couple of regulars of the Downtown Campbell scene by way of their affiliation with the Home Church.

The Home Church is one of the community organizations that has quietly worked alongside the Downtown Campbell Business Association to help us run many of the events happening in Downtown Campbell, but Michael and Mark have done far more than just show up to help us check tickets and direct traffic. They've gone the extra mile out of love for their community to help make Downtown Campbell the place that it is.

Michael Sanders is the Facilities Manager and IT Manager of the Home Church and can come close to outrunning Usain Bolt if you tell him that you're taking his photo (despite a broken foot). He's been at the Home Church for over 20 years and we've been quite familiar with him for most of those years. His friends attest to his great sense of compassion for those around him, good humor, and his amazing singing voice.

Mark Thornton is a leader and volunteer at the Home Church who's very much a hands on kind of person no matter what it is. He loves working with his hands and is an avid gardener, cook, and nature lover. He's hands on with teenagers and loves working with them to shape the character of young adults. His friends speak warmly of how reliable and sensitive he is in difficult situations.

The Downtown Campbell Business Association is very grateful to these two men and the Home Church for all of their support over the years. We are so proud to name these two gentlemen as our persons of the year for 2019 and we will be celebrating their contributions to the community this weekend at the 52nd Annual Celebrate Campbell Awards dinner.

BTW, both of these men are dog people. Can you tell?