By Brenda Erdahl
Friends, fellowship, and a place to call home. Denise Blizil has found these and so much more in Maple Lake, which is why she spends so much time trying to give something back.
Through her work getting the all-volunteer-run library up and off the ground 18 years ago, to her more recent efforts to launch the popular Makers and Growers Market last spring and numerous other endeavors in between, Blizil has demonstrated time and again her dedication and commitment to serving this community. It’s really no surprise that she is this year’s recipient of the Community Service Award.
As the St. Patrick’s Day Festival approaches, the Maple Lake Chamber of Commerce annually honors its most dedicated members with awards. The Community Service Award, formerly the Commodore’s Award, is given to a chamber member who shows a continued dedication to the community and service.
Blizil’s nominator wrote, “she is an advocate for the Maple Lake Library, attends the chamber meetings and was instrumental in establishing the Makers and Growers this past year in Maple Lake. She is not afraid to take on any task in the community.”
Blizil was born and raised in Maple Lake. She graduated from Maple Lake High School in 1977 and that is where she met her husband, Tom. The couple will have been married 45 years this April and they’ve lived their entire lives in Maple Lake. They raised their two children here, Tracy and Michael, and started a successful business, Blizil Repair. Their blood runs green for this town.
“We have gotten a lot from this community,” Blizil said. “Whether it’s Tom on the fire department, whether it’s the great education we’ve gotten between St. Tims and Maple Lake High School, whether it’s the caring when my parents died. This community gives, it really gives, no matter what, whether it’s a benefit or the school, or any fundraiser, they just wrap their arms around each other.”
After working 30 years for a life insurance company in the cities, when she retired, she decided she wanted to try to give back a little of what her hometown has given her and her family. She’s done that exponentially, and not just in Maple Lake. Her generosity has spilled into neighboring cities and communities.