The Apex Chamber of Commerce is now accepting donations for its annual Bookbag Bonanza. Businesses that participate will be recognized as leaders in the Apex Chamber community for the donation. Deadline for donations is Friday, June 8. For details, call 919-362-6456 or visit apexchamber.com.

Kudos

Chef Jeffrey Bane, dean of culinary education at the Chef’s Academy in Morrisville, has won the Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals for their leadership roles at their organizations, career milestones and substantial involvement in community service.

Donate Life North Carolina awarded a plaque to the Cary Driver License Office of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles for achieving the highest donor designation rate in its district for 2011. The Cary office signed up 65 percent of its customers as organ and eye donors in 2011, while the average state sign-up rate last year was 52.8 percent.

MMI Public Relations in Cary has won the Steady Growth and Profitability Master Award at the 28th annual Pinnacle Business Awards presented by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

The town of Morrisville was chosen as a winner of the 2011-2012 State Treasurer’s Award for Excellence in Accounting and Financial Management program for municipalities with a population between 7,500 and 25,000. The program submitted for the award was a collaboration between the finance and IT departments, who developed an in-house privilege license program database.

Allstate agency owner Ravi Reddy received the Allstate Agency Hands in the Community Award for distinguished community service. With this award came a $1,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation for the Indian Classical Music & Dance Society in Cary, where Reddy volunteers.

Philanthropy

Lenovo, in partnership with and to benefit the USO North Carolina RDU Center, hosted its third USO supply drive on May 24 in Morrisville. Employees donated travel-sized personal care items for active military.

The Lucy Daniels Center held its third annual Bookmarked festival across Wake County April 27 through May 6. Bookmarked was attended by more than 1,000 Triangle-area children and their families, and raised more than $45,000 for the center’s Family Support Fund.