Keuka College has named Stacy and Chris Wyant of Penn Yan the recipients of the 2025 Donald and Corrine Stork Award for Community Service, honoring a shared lifetime of dedication to their neighbors, their town, and the organizations that bring both together.
The Stork Award, presented annually since 1991, recognizes individuals who embody Keuka College’s longstanding commitment to service and community. According to Kathy Waye, Director of the College’s Field Period® Program and a Stork Award organizer, the Wyants are the perfect reflection of that mission.
“Stacy and Chris go above and beyond for the Penn Yan community,” she said. “Their love for their town shines through in everything they do.”
The couple were humbled to learn of the honor, said Stacy.
“It’s amazing to be mentioned in the same breath as some of those prior award winners,” he said. “Especially Don and Corrie.”
Stacy said the honor is especially meaningful because he and Chris were friends of the Storks. Shortly after moving to the community from Dansville in 1987 to manage an insurance firm, Stacy was visited by Don – who ran a competing insurance brokerage, no less.
“Don was one of the first people I met here,” Stacy recalled. “He walked down the street to introduce himself; that’s the kind of person Don was.”
If there was a professional rivalry, it didn’t last: Stacy joined the Stork Insurance Agency in 2000.
The colleagues also teamed up on innumerable community-service initiatives as members of the Penn Yan Rotary Club. A longtime member and multiple-term president of the club, Stacy has helped organize everything from food drives to the club’s 100th anniversary celebration. He also spearheaded the Rotary’s foreign exchange program, coordinating student placements and even opening the couple’s home to visiting students. His service has earned him several Paul Harris Awards — the club’s highest honor.
Chris, too, is a tireless community advocate. Especially notable is her work chairing the Philanthropic Education Organization (P.E.O.) Star Scholarship Committee, in which she helps young women in Penn Yan pursue higher education, often guiding them to national scholarship wins.
Together, the Wyants are also deeply involved in the Bluff Point United Methodist Church, where they contribute to both the upkeep of the church property and the spiritual life of the congregation.
Stacy said faith and family are two of the driving forces behind the couple’s community service.
“We know how blessed we are,” he said. “We had community service modeled for us by our parents.”
The couple’s acts of kindness extend beyond formal service roles. From shoveling a neighbor’s driveway to quietly helping local families in times of crisis, Stacy and Chris are known for stepping in wherever there’s a need, often without being asked.
“They model true caring for neighbors and friends, as well as enthusiastic support for all things Penn Yan,” wrote Nancy Bailey and a group of neighbors in a heartfelt nomination letter. “They have given countless hours of service, making their community a better place to live.”
The Wyants will be formally recognized at a luncheon on August 12 at noon on the Keuka College campus. For additional information or to register to attend, visit keuka.edu/event/storkaward2025.
