Bruce Mazzoni retired at age 42.

His job took him all over the world but left him little time at home. When his contract at work was up for renewal, he decided to take a sabbatical.

“I just never went back to work,” said Mazzoni, now 55, of Cranberry Township.

This left him plenty of time to get involved with the community, which has earned him an award.

Mazzoni and Butler attorney Jennifer Linn are being honored as the 2013 Distinguished Service Award winners.

The awards are sponsored by the Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler Eagle, and are given annually to a senior recipient and a junior recipient for their community service.

Both will be honored at a May 7 dinner at the Butler Country Club in Penn Township.

Senior recipient

Mazzoni, who is the senior recipient, started volunteering by joining the board of directors for the Cranberry Public Library.

At the time, the library was looking to close on Sundays due to lack of funding. Mazzoni suggested going to the community to raise money to keep the Sunday hours. That action was successful.

Mazzoni also got involved with the Butler County Federated Library System to keep the Bookmobile operating.

“I just thought it was so important to have library services in the northern part of the county,” Mazzoni said.

From his involvement with the library, people encouraged him to run for Cranberry Township supervisor. He initially declined, but eventually decided to run. He was elected in 2005.

Today, Mazzoni is the chairman of the supervisors. He said people always tell him that it must be difficult to be a supervisor for such a large township.

“I always say it's just the opposite,” Mazzoni said, praising the township's large staff.

Mazzoni also is the treasurer of the Cranberry Township Community Chest.

He said the CTCC was about to disband six years ago. At the same time, he said many civic groups in the township were fading away.

He noted that research showed that many communities with thriving civic groups were based around a central entity. He and others felt that CTCC could be that focus in Cranberry.

Today, the community chest has 17 endowments and more than $1 million in assets, and Mazzoni said civic groups have grown.

He is the chairman of CTCC's Project of the Year initiative, of which there have been four.

Mazzoni also serves on the Butler County Community College board of trustees.

He found out he was to receive the award when county Commissioner Dale Pinkerton called him about three weeks ago. Mazzoni said he initially tried to decline the award.

“Truly, I enjoy doing this stuff,” Mazzoni said of his volunteer efforts.

However, he said he knew the award was a big deal, and he is happy to promote the causes he is involved with.

“I very much appreciate it,” said Mazzoni, who is married with two adult children.

Linn, the junior recipient, started getting involved in the community when she moved here about 10 years ago for work.“I guess it's a feeling of being part of a greater community,” said Linn, a Beaver County native, of volunteering.Linn, who owns Jennifer R. Linn and Associates, has been involved with the Rotary Club of Butler for about 10 years.She was president of the club in 2007-08. From 2008 through 2012, she was assistant governor to Rotary District 7280. From 2013 to the present, she has been District 7280's lead trainer and the Western Pennsylvania Tri-District PETS lead trainer.On the county Rotary level, Linn is the vice president and treasurer for the Butler Rotary Foundation and co-chairman for its annual Rotary Turkey Roundup, which provides food vouchers to needy families during the holiday season.She also is co-chairman for the Butler Rotary Foundation's annual Sporting Clay Shoot, which benefits the Wounded Warrior Project.Linn formerly was on the board of directors for the Community Health Clinic of Butler County and the board of directors for Butler County Against Heroin.Since 2011, she has been on the BC3 board of trustees.She said she probably is most proud of her involvement in the early years of Butler County's Stand Tall Drug Awareness and Prevention Program in schools.“Getting the program up and running,” she said.Most recently, she has been legal council to the Dunbar Community Center board and works with the center's after-school tutoring program at Butler elementary schools.She serves food and tutors students for the after- school program.She found out she won the award when past award winners Millie Pinkerton and Lisa Konesni came to her office. She said she was surprised, but said it was a good feeling, especially after discovering that it is the most significant community service award given in the county.“It's a huge honor to receive something like that,” Linn said. She added that she is honored to receive the award with Mazzoni.Linn, 36, lives in Butler with her daughter.

<B>What: </B>The 65th Distinguished Service Awards dinner hosted by the Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler Eagle.<B>When: </B>5:30 p.m. May 7<B>Where: </B>Butler Country Club, 310 Country Club Road, Penn Township<B>Honorees: </B>Bruce Mazzoni, senior winner, and Jennifer Linn, junior winner<B>Cost: </B>$35 per person. Registration must be submitted before April 30. Checks may be made payable to “Rotary Club of Butler, DSA Award” and sent to P.O. Box 1081, Butler, PA 16003-1081.<B>Details: </B>Cash bar at 5:30 p.m.; dinner at 6:15 p.m. A vegetarian dish is available, but must be requested at the time of reservation.