The Friendly Independent Restaurants of the Southtowns recently awarded the annual prize of a $1,000 travel voucher to Georgana Frame.

Each January, the F.I.R.S.T. organization picks one name from the gift certificates redeemed during the previous year.

Frame redeemed the certificate at The Coyote Cafe in Hamburg.

Since the mid-1990s, the group has provided the high-yield fundraising program to area schools, churches and other nonprofits. The organization sells the F.I.R.S.T. group gift certificates for $10. The selling organizations keep $3 from each sale of their fundraising efforts.

F.I.R.S.T. group members are family-owned, local independent restaurants banding together to help support their communities and each other.

These gift certificates may be redeemed at any of the member restaurants, which include Apple Dumplin’, JP Fitzgeralds, Coyote Cafe, Murphy’s Main St., McKenzie’s, Rodney’s, Root Five, Tina’s Italian Kitchen, Dock at the Bay, Buffalo Street Grill, Romanello’s, J&M’s West End Inn, Curly’s Bar and Grill, Ilio DiPaolo’s, The Blackthorn Pub, O’Brien’s Pub and Steakhouse, O’Brien’s Meats and Smokehouse, Old Orchard Inn, Danny’s South, Tony Rome’s, Mansard Inn, Julie’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, and Scarlet On Virginia.