At the 49th annual Celebrate Campbell event, Kimi de Leonibus will be honored as the Campbell Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year.

The celebration on March 18 will also recognize a business, volunteer and ambassador of the year. Whole Foods will be awarded business of the year, while volunteer of the year will go to Gary Stribling. Gary Church will take home ambassador of the year.

Each year the Chamber asks individuals, organizations and clubs to submit nominations for the citizen of the year. The person does not need to be a member of the Chamber or a Campbell resident. The award is given to a person that has given their time and effort to the betterment of the community and its residents.

“I am really lucky to have met so many people and groups, and to have been able to help in a variety of ways,” de Leonibus said. “When I think about the award, I feel like it is not just for me, but for all these different groups that I have joined or helped because there’s no way one citizen can do everything alone.”

She began her involvement in the community five years ago when Delphi Academy moved from Santa Clara to Campbell. The private school is located in the Campbell Community Center, and she is serves in a vice principal-style role as associate headmistress.

The San Jose resident said she got into community service shortly after meeting two prominent city volunteers.

“When we moved to Campbell, I wanted to get to know the community,” de Leonibus said. “The first two people I met were Betty Deal and Sally Howe. They were very caring about the community and showed me how to be part of that. Both of them meant a lot to me.”

The Chamber was the first group de Leonibus joined in the city after meeting Deal and Howe. Howe was awarded citizen of the year in 1990 and Deal in 2008. Both passed away in 2015.

Since joining the Chamber five years ago, de Leonibus has made it her goal to get Delphi students involved in community service, whether it is picking up trash during a park clean-up or planting a drought-tolerant garden in front of the Campbell Historical Museum.

“One of the best ways to prepare a student is to learn through community service and field trips,” de Leonibus said, adding Delphi students have volunteered at numerous park clean-ups within the city and have helped toy drives and food donations.

She has also joined the Downtown Business Association and is a board member of the Parks and Recreation Foundation.

“These are the things I enjoy contributing to,” de Leonibus said. “Awards aren’t something I think about when I’m doing things for the community. I just love it here.”

Tickets for Celebrate Campbell can be purchased through the Campbell Chamber of Commerce website. Individual tickets are $80. A table of 10 is $750. Black tie attire is required.

For more information, visit campbellchamber.net.