Hayley Hooks (pictured), staff pharmacist at Kinney Drugs in Essex Junction, has been named Favorite Pharmacist for 2025 in a vote of the chain's patients and customers. A customer advocate at Kinney's Watertown, New York, store, Julie Baronial, took honors as Favorite Employee for 2025.

Kinney Drugs, a community-focused, employee-owned pharmacy and retail chain, operates more than 100 stores across Vermont and New York. The company's president, John Marraffa, honored both recipients at surprise award presentations in November.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports has named Todd and Lisa Presson (pictured), of Panton; Katie Ahern, of East Thetford; and Stew Stryker, of Windsor, as its 2025 Volunteers of the Year. The award honors the legacy of Jim Hutchinson, who began volunteering with Vermont Adaptive in 1994 and helped expand the organization’s reach and impact before his passing in 2008.