Green Bay, Wis.¬- (Aug. 27, 2008) - The Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce honored Mark Tauscher, Green Bay Packers tackle, as this year’s recipient of the Chamber’s annual Community Service Award at the Welcome Back Packers Luncheon hosted at the Lambeau Field Atrium on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Tauscher’s involvement in the community includes various visits to local schools, hospitals, food pantries and civic organizations. He has recorded public service announcements of support of nonprofit groups, spoken with youth football players and attended dinner in appreciation of local military families. He was a part of the Packers’ second annual Tailgate Tour in 2007 and also spent a week traveling with pediatric cancer patients to participate in winter activities around Wisconsin as part of former college teammate Jerry Wunsch’s Circle of Friends program. In addition, he has regularly attended the Families of Children with Cancer annual holiday party. Known for his trademark long hair, he agreed to cut his locks when St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield (a Children’s Miracle Network hospital) received more than $25,000 in pledges, with donors given the opportunity to randomly be chosen to take part in the cutting ceremony. He also organized a charity basketball game to benefit cancer research. In 2005, he established the TRIFECTA (Tauscher’s Reading Initiative For Every Child To Achieve) Foundation; its mission is to benefit literacy and education in the state of Wisconsin. He has held golf outings each of the past three springs to raise money for the foundation, and with Associated Bank, TRIFECTA has raised more than $110,000 for distribution in the state of Wisconsin. This past April, he received the Professional Achievement Award at the annual Lee Remmel Sports Awards Banquet.
“In addition to being a local favorite, Mark Tauscher exhibits all the community-oriented traits we strive to honor with the Community Service Award,” said Paul Jadin, president of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
The annual event drew nearly 1,100 attendees, including a mix of business people and community members. Luncheon attendees welcomed Green Bay Packers coaches and a full roster of players to an exciting football season; they were seated randomly throughout the room. Coach Mike McCarthy addressed the audience, providing a forecast on the upcoming football season.
The Chamber’s Community Service Award has honored one Packers player or coach for his contributions to the community for more than 20 years.
The event is sponsored by the Green Bay Packers, Fox 11 WLUK-TV, Made Ya Look and Levy Restaurants.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Established in 1882, the mission of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic and community development. Chamber programs include Advance, Partners in Education, Leadership Green Bay, Brown County Teen Leadership, Current--the Young Professionals Network, Good Government Council, the International Business Development Consortium and the Small Business Council.
For more information about the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and its programs, call 437-8704 or visit www.titletown.org.
###
