Volunteers celebrated in record United Way year (with VIDEO)

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The United Way of Northwest Georgia is No. 1 in the state in percentage of giving and is ranked in the top 11 percent of all United Ways in the nation in the amount of money raised, President Amanda Burt said Tuesday at the organization’s Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards.

A record-setting 2017 campaign by the local United Way saw $4.018 million raised to benefit 55,168 individuals through the efforts of local charities and service groups. The goal was $3.9 million. Joe Young of Engineered Floors was the 2017 campaign chairman.

Ken Jackson, 2018 board chairman, said the secret to the current success is the actions of those who have led the United Way here in the past.

“When I look back at the members of the board of the local United Way it is like a list of local stars,” Jackson said as the gavel was passed to him at the event at Stage 123 in downtown Dalton. “We have been blessed with past leadership. Those leaders have through their own example set the course for us.”

Following through on the United Way’s strategic guidelines for community impact in education, basic needs and health, the organization had 2,954 volunteers with 24,907 hours of volunteer service.

Karen Townsend, a former board chairman, received the Connie Woodward Award for Outstanding Volunteerism in Whitfield County, presented in honor of Connie Woodward, who was the first recipient of a volunteer award from the organization. Woodward’s son George presented Townsend with the award.

“I was very touched, and it was very sweet what George had to say about his mom,” Townsend said. “I have been coming to these events I guess for the last five or six years, and I always leave feeling so thankful we live in such a fantastic, giving, loving community. It makes me feel grateful. I enjoy living in Dalton and it is a great town.”

In addition to her roles on the board and with the United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, Townsend works with Christian Heritage School and volunteers through Meals on Wheels and with the elderly.

Josh Young, a member of the organization’s Young Leaders Society, was recognized with the Elaine Butler Award for Outstanding Volunteerism in Murray County. Young provided more than 3,000 hours of service to the United Way in Murray County and is a volunteer coach in the recreation department. The award is named for the former head of the Family Support Council who was also a longtime volunteer and organizer in the county.

“With volunteerism and giving back, I don’t ever look for recognition so much,” Young said. “It is just something that has been instilled in me through my parents and a lot of my relatives and people around me. I could see them give and they gave to me when I was younger. To get recognized for it, it instills pride in me that I am doing what I should be doing. I wish I could do more. But when you get an award for the time you have put in, you know that you made an impact somehow, somewhere, on someone.”

Two high school seniors were named as recipients of the annual Elbert Shaw Memorial Scholarships. Northwest Whitfield’s Chloe Medlin and Coahulla Creek’s Lilli Ownby were awarded the $5,000 scholarships that are presented by Shaw Industries in honor of Elbert Shaw, who served as director of human resources for the company.

Medlin, who said her volunteerism buttons were pushed at an early age as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army’s Christmas kettle campaign, was recognized as the Youth Volunteer of the Year.

Debbie and Bryan Macon are the 2018 campaign co-chairs.

Other award winners

• Americhem: highest participation

• Big Brothers Big Sisters: Community Partner Growth Award

• Brown Industries: community collaborator

• Dalton Utilities: Five-star champion and community collaborator

• Dorsett Industries: Five-star champion, community collaborator and highest participation

• Engineered Floors: Five-star champion, community builder and largest percentage of growth. President’s Volunteer Award.

• Marketing Alliance Group: community collaborator

• Mattex: Newcomer Award

• MFG Chemical: Rising Star

• Mohawk Industries: Five-star champion and community builder

• Phenix Flooring: Five-star champion

• Shaw Industries: Five-star champion, community pillar and largest dollar increase. LaRuthie Mason and Wyatt Rollins received the Campaign Coordinator of the Year award for their work on the Shaw Industries campaign.

• Textile Management Associates: community collaborator

• Textile Rubber and Chemical Co.: community patron

• UPS: GCL Award

• Whitfield County Schools: Rising Star