Chamber Promotes Volunteerism with Citizen Award
W
hile short in stature, Dorothy Hunt towered above the rest of the audience at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership banquet in February. Chosen as the 2010 Citizen of the Year, Hunt, at slightly less than five feet tall, accepted her award with praise for the community’s support of her ministry, Lifeline Outreach, a shelter for women and children who are in need. “I’m probably too choked up to say anything,” Hunt told the capacity crowd at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center as she held back tears. “The greatest thing I ever see is the change that is made in these women’s lives.” In 1984, Hunt founded her ministry with just $300, a handful of people who wanted to help her, a vision and a healthy dose of faith in God. “It started as one woman’s dream and became a community project,” Hunt said regarding her shelter. “The plan is just to start where you are and make a difference.” For more than 40 years, the Chamber has been recognizing individuals like Mrs. Hunt who make a difference in Henderson and Vance County. From 1970 to 1978, separate awards were given for Man of the Year and Woman of the Year. The award was consolidated in 1979 to recognize the Citizen of the Year. The public is given the opportunity to nominate honorees. The recipient of the award must be a county resident who is nominated for acts performed outside his or her normal business or profession for the benefit of the county and its citizens. No chamber membership is required for this award. Hunt’s award was presented by James
Dorothy Hunt displays the plaque she received this year from the HendersonVance Chamber of Commerce as the 2010 Citizen of the Year.
D. Edwards, the 2009 recipient of the award, who was recognized for his volunteer work with a number of area organizations. Previous award recipients include, in 2008, Henderson attorney Bennett H. Perry Jr., chosen in large part for more than three decades of service as a trustee of H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library. His leadership and counsel led to the transfer of the library from a private, nonprofit organization to the city and county. Perry helped orchestrate the move of the library from cramped spaces on Young Street in 1986 to a former food store on Rose Avenue and to making the library a part of the Embassy Square Citizen — CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 21
CITIZENS OF THE YEAR 2010 — Dorothy Hunt 2009 — James D. Edwards 2008 — Bennett Perry 2007 — Donald Ray Matthews 2006 — Ray Meeks 2005 — Ruth Burt 2004 — Wayne Gray 2003 — Lynn Harper 2002 — Bob Gorham 2001 — Cliff Rogers 2000 — Bob Fleming 1999 — Mike Williams 1998 — M.W. Wester, Jr., M.D. 1997 — Tommy and Dottie Crocker 1996 — George Rose Watkins 1995 — Ann F. Jaeger 1994 — Marshall Y. Cooper, Jr. 1993 — Nancy Bobbitt and Jane Robertson 1992 — Clarence Knight 1991 — Felix Simmons 1990 — Charles F. Blackburn 1989 — Henrietta Clark 1988 — George T. Blackburn II 1987 — Robert G. Currin, M.D. 1986 — Donald Seifert 1985 — Sam Watkins 1984 — Barney Beasley 1983 — Rev. Ed Laffman 1982 — George Wilson 1981 — R.G.S. Davis 1980 — J.W. Jenkins, Jr. 1979 — Nell Wiggins 1978 — Marshall Y. Cooper, Sr., and Nancy P. Phillips* 1977 — R.G. Young, Jr., and Helen K. Barnes 1976 — John T. Church and Esther B. Winston 1975 — Henry A. Dennis and Mrs. David Fuller 1974 — Sam Alford and Hazel Peck 1973 — Clarence E. Green and Sara F. Watkins 1972 — George Harrison and Barbara Petrou 1971 — Rev. M.L. Banister and Dot League 1970 — T.W. Ellis, Jr., and Mrs. Ralph Thompson * Prior to 1970, the Henderson-Vance Chamber presented separate Man of the Year and Woman of the Year awards.
ISION ance V
EN