Seneca Falls business owner Casey Galloway will receive the first Mary Bailey Award during the town's Christmas in July celebration, recognizing her resilience, community service and support for others.
Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," will present the award on behalf of the IDEA Center for the Voices of Humanity at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the National Women's Hall of Fame, 1 Canal St., with the public invited to attend.
The award honors qualities associated with Mary Bailey, including resilience, emotional intelligence, practicality, independence, devotion and community-mindedness. The IDEA Center said Galloway reflects those qualities through her work and response to personal loss.
Galloway attended Paul Smith's College for culinary arts and has more than 20 years of experience in the culinary industry. Her previous roles included line cook at the restaurant at MacKenzie-Childs, dining hall manager at Wells College and sous chef at the Aurora Inn.
She founded Cafe XIX in December 2013 with encouragement from her mentor, Menzo Case. The cafe's name honors the 19th Amendment, which affirmed women's right to vote.
The IDEA Center said Galloway continued investing in the community after Case died in 2023 and her husband, Christopher Galloway, died unexpectedly the following year. Galloway and her husband married in 2007 and settled in Seneca Falls with their daughter, Rylee.
The organization created the George Bailey Award in 2004 to honor people whose contributions make a lasting difference in Seneca Falls. It established the Mary Bailey Award in 2026, the 80th anniversary year of "It's a Wonderful Life," to recognize the character's spirit as well.
The presentation is part of the Seneca Falls Christmas in July celebration, scheduled from July 28 through Aug. 1.
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