The sweltering heat outside did not wilt the enthusiasm of more than 100 local business owners and professionals who attended the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards luncheon at the 1877 Club Restaurant at the University of Hartford on Wednesday afternoon.

This year, three winners of the Chamber’s Noah Webster Award were honored for their exceptional community involvement and advancement. The event was sponsored by Simons Real Estate Group, Liberty Bank, and Saint Joseph College.

Morley Elementary School second-grade teacher Dawn O’Connor was recognized as an educator who goes well beyond her job description to give children an enhanced and interconnected sense of community. Through the years, she has been a galvanizing  force behind many Morley charitable events, including the annual holiday-time Red Wagon Food Drive which benefits the West Hartford food pantry.

O’Connor was also instrumental in facilitating the “A Fleece for a Friend” program, which partnered Morley school with its sister school in South Carolina to provide fleece jackets to children in need. Another initiative, the “Backpack Brigade,” encouraged Morley families to donate knapsacks full of supplies to needy students in West Hartford.

In addition, this year O'Connor supplemented her students’ customary Japan curriculum instruction with a fundraiser that sent 1,000 dollar bills, folded into origami hearts, to families affected by the tsunami in Japan.

Also honored was the Home Design District of West Hartford, a collection of 20 local home improvement businesses. Formed five years ago, the group has brought a new vitality to the area on and around New Park Avenue.

Member businesses have organized street clean-ups, displayed prominent banners to designate and distinguish the area, and have used television and print advertising to promote the organization. The group has attracted new businesses to the district and successfully draws customers in search of alternatives to corporate “big box” home improvement stores. Over $15,000 in targeted promotional advertising has been spent in the greater Hartford area.

The Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities at Saint Joseph College was also honored as an integral part of the West Hartford community. The Center is home to many organizations, including the Connecticut Concert Opera, Connecticut Classical Guitar Society, Capital Classics Theater Company, and the Ballet Theatre Company.

As the site for more than 150 events annually, ranging from college and community presentations to performing arts series and films, the Carol Autorino Center provides a highly desirable venue to enable many cultural and educational organizations to flourish in town.

Councilman Steven Adler congratulated the Noah Webster Award winners, informing them that they would be receiving a proclamation from West Hartford, signed by Mayor Scott Slifka, in their honor.

Other honorees recognized at the luncheon included local business owner Chip Janiszewksi, of SendOutCards.com, who was named Chamber Ambassador of the Year, and Lisa Polce of Hunter John Designs, who received the Volunteer of the Year award.

Conard senior Michael Gonzalez was awarded a scholarship funded by the Chamber and matched by Westfarms Mall, for his pursuit of an automotive technician degree following graduation.