Memorial Award, Scholarship Announced in Honor of Carmon Cunningham

• Photo Credit: The Cleaner Spot Dry Cleaners Tailors & Corporate Valet Facebook Page

WILMINGTON, MA — The death of Carmon Cunningham, the beloved owner of the Cleaner Spot, deeply saddened the Wilmington community as a whole.

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In honor of Cunningham, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce announced plans to memorialize the former Chamber president during the July 18 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. The memorial initiatives include a scholarship given to a Wilmington High School graduating senior, an award given to a business professional in Wilmington and an honorary meeting during the Chamber's next meeting.

During the meeting, Selectman Michael Champoux cited a communication from Mr. Lewis Foreman regarding Cunningham's passing.

"He (Foreman) like so many other folks in Wilmington were touched by Carmon not just because he was a very good business professional but because he was a very good person," Champoux said at the meeting."He touched a lot of folks in town through a myriad of organizations and charitable endeavors that he entrenched himself in immediately upon coming to town around nine years ago."

Champoux, who is also a member of the Chamber's board of directors, announced that the Chamber is working with the Wilmington School Business Partnership and the Wear One Wilmington organization to establish a scholarship in Cunningham's name to a graduating Wilmington High School senior.

It was also announced that the Chamber is in the process of developing a "Carmon Cunningham Spirit Award" for a business professional in Wilmington. The criteria for the awarding of the scholarship and the award are still in the works, according to Champoux's statements at the meeting.

Additionally, Champoux announced that the Chamber's next annual meeting would be offered in honor of Cunningham. He also noted Cunningham's willingness to offer help to anyone in the community, whether it was a business or an individual, particularly to young people.

"I would defy anyone to find a time where Carmon said no," said Champoux.

Cunningham, who opened the doors to the Cleaner Spot in 2009, died at the age of 62. He served as the president of the Chamber of Commerce in 2013 and 2014, and had been a member of the board for the previous five years.

"We feel that it is befitting the type of recognition, if any, that Carmon would feel comfortable with," added Champoux. "We feel that it is appropriate in memory of a fine gentleman in a variety of different ways in the short period of time that he was here."