 An outstanding member of society was surprised this morning at his workplace after the Brainer Community Action Committee and the Brainer J.C.'s announced he had been named the 2018 Citizen of the Year. Eric Hapa-Jelke was named Citizen of the Year for his dynamic leadership in the community. The award is given every year to a living nominee who has volunteered services that are beyond normal employment or business pursuits. This service they performed have contributed to the welfare of the community for an extended period of time. Eric was chosen because he has a laundry list of good qualities and it was an obvious choice for the selection committee. He's an outstanding member of this community and is very involved with a ton of things and he just simply deserves it. Eric's friends and family surprised him during a morning staff meeting at the Consolidated Tone Communications Company in Brainer. According to Brainer Community Action, he was honored for his unique ability to touch hearts with his genuine personality and his ability to pull people together for the benefit of others. He was also noted as a widely ambitious visionary with contagious and goosey eyes. I'm very humbled. There's a lot of love in this room with a lot of people that I work with, a lot of great people, I have great family and great friends and it just takes you all inside right now. A Distinguished Service Award banquet will be held on October 25th at the Northern Pacific Center in Brainer to honor Hapajoki and other members of the community. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.