Dr. Laura L Douglas, President of Bristol Community College, was recently honored with the Brayton Community Service Award, presented by the One SouthCoast Chamber at their annual meeting on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Whites of Westport. The prestigious award recognizes leaders for their outstanding commitment and service to our communities.

Several leaders with strong ties to Bristol were also honored with the Brayton Community Service Award, including Carl Cruz, former Member of Bristol’s Board of Trustees; Patrick J. Murray, Jr., Member of Bristol's Foundation Board of Directors; Debbie Pelletier, former Board Member of Bristol’s Dental Hygiene Alumni Association; Cynthia Rose, former Interim Chair and Member of Bristol’s Board of Trustees; Anthony R. Sapienza, former Member of Bristol’s Board of Trustees and Bristol's Foundation Board of Directors.

The complete list of Brayton Community Service Award recipients featured Carl Cruz, Dr. Laura L. Douglas, Brian LeComte, Patrick J. Murray, Jr., Richard and Debbie Pelletier, Cynthia Rose, Anthony R. Sapienza and Kimberly J. Smith.

The chamber also honored four organizations through its APEX Business & Community Excellence awards, including Merrow Manufacturing, New Bedford Public Schools, Spindle City Auto Glass and YWCA Southeastern MA.

The One SouthCoast Chamber serves 19 communities in the South Coast of Massachusetts, including Acushnet, Assonet, Dartmouth, Dighton, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rehoboth, Rochester, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Tiverton, RI, Wareham, Warren, RI and Westport. One SouthCoast is a progressive organization that participates in initiatives that positively impact our business members and the quality of life in the South Coast region. Initiatives include education, economic development, trade shows and legislative affairs.