State and local leaders honored a businessman for his decades of service to Connecticut.

David Levy is the co-owner of Hawley Lane Shoes in Shelton where the ceremony took place Saturday morning.

The chain of family-owned shoe stores is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Levy "one of the great unsung heroes of the charity world.”

He says Levy quietly helps people and causes without ever seeking credit.

"David Levy has earned this recognition and so much more here at Hawley Lane Shoes but also in the community – with what he does so tirelessly for people who suffer from diabetes and other conditions where he makes their lives more comfortable and pain-free."

Levy encouraged customers to avoid the pain of sales taxes, beginning Sunday, by shopping over the next week.
He says tax-free week in Connecticut is exactly what people need right now.