The Williamson Herald and its photographer Austin Thompson have shared their photos from the July 24, 2019, Franklin Tomorrow Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards at the Franklin Theatre.

Franklin Tomorrow honors volunteers, presents Charles M. Sargent Legacy Award to County Mayor Rogers Anderson

Graceworks volunteer couple receives Anne T. Rutherford Award

Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson was the recipient of the Charles M. Sargent Legacy Award on Wednesday, July 24, as part of Franklin Tomorrow’s 13^th annual Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards at the Franklin Theatre.

Presented in partnership with Jackson National Life Insurance Company, which underwrites the use of the Franklin Theatre, the Volunteer Awards honor individuals and groups in seven categories, including a new award this year for an Emerging Leader.

Also presented were awards in Youth Initiative, Civic Group, Corporate Team, Corporate Individual, Volunteer Spirit, and the Anne T. Rutherford Exemplary Community Volunteer Award. A special President’s Award was presented to Franklin Tomorrow Board Member Mary Lee Bennett by Board President Allena Bell.

Anderson, who has served as mayor of Williamson County since 2002 after 16 years of serving as a county commissioner, was nominated for the Charles M. Sargent Legacy Award by Franklin Alderman Brandy Blanton and Debbie Henry of The TMA Group.

Rogers Anderson

Sargent died in November 2018 but received the Legacy Award in 2018 from Franklin Tomorrow, which renamed it in his honor following his death. Sargent and Anderson were friends for more than 40 years and were more like family.

While Sargent was a New York native and Anderson from East Tennessee, “they were both raised with a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-done work ethic, the importance of treating everyone with respect and the fact that you can oftentimes learn more by listening than speaking,” Blanton wrote in her nomination.

Henry described Anderson as “one of those extraordinary individuals who daily leave a lasting legacy of commitment and service on the heart of Williamson County.” She cited a quote by Abraham Lincoln to describe Anderson: “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none.”

Nancy Sargent and her daughter Margaret Mahew presented the award to Anderson.

Receiving the Anne T. Rutherford Exemplary Community Volunteer Award were Keith and Brenda Squires Crow, who were nominated by Graceworks for their dedication to the organization and its Neighbor Services division.

Keith & Brenda Squires Crow

Individually, both Keith and Brenda started volunteering for Graceworks after each had lost their spouses and found renewed meaning and purpose in their lives by serving others.

Keith started volunteering in 2009 as a GraceWorks volunteer to listen to clients’ requests for aid and help determine how best to help them. Brenda decided to volunteer in the food pantry a year later and has become team leader for her shift directing eight other volunteers in sorting items and helping clients select the groceries they need.

Graceworks’ food pantry manager tried to match them up, but they weren’t interested. Romance bloomed when Keith asked Brenda to accompany him in 2014 to volunteer at the newly opened GraceWorks West in Fairview in addition to their work at the Franklin office. They married a year later.

Three awards were given in the Volunteer Spirit category, which honors volunteers who are involved either in a variety of community activities or primarily in one organization as a significant volunteer.

Baggett

Cole

Stanek

Receiving Volunteer Spirit Awards were Patrick Baggett, nominated by Patty Bearden of the Franklin Noon Rotary Club; Joni Cole, nominated by the Downtown Franklin Association’s Jill Burgin & Mary Lee Bennett; and Carmen Stanek, nominated by Sydney Ball for her work with a variety of organizations.

Receiving the Emerging Leader Award was Kindrick McLemore, a student at Lipscomb University who was nominated by Robert Blair.

McLemore

This was a new award this year and honors a young professional between 20 and 40 years of age whose professional or volunteer efforts are having a positive impact on his or her community.

Buerger Moseley Carson PLC was the recipient of the Corporate Team Award for its continued and broad support of the nonprofit community, but also the individual involvement of its partners and associates on local boards and agencies.

Ball

Sydney Ball of First Citizens National Bank was the recipient of the Corporate Individual Award for her work with numerous nonprofits, including the Next Gen Advisory Board of the Heritage Foundation, Lipscomb University, Youth Leadership Franklin, and A Vintage Affair.

Hensiek

The Youth Initiative Award was awarded to Lily Hensiek, who has raised more than $1 million for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as a childhood cancer patient and survivor.

The Civic Group Award was given to Friends of Williamson County Animal Center, which has raised over $100,000 this year to help with medical expenses, hire temporary help for the shelter, provide a public rabies and microchip clinic each month for the community, provide funding for public cat spay/neuter program, and supplement the County’s efforts to design and build a new first-class shelter.

Bennett

Franklin Tomorrow Board Member Mary Lee Bennett was presented a President’s Award by Franklin Tomorrow Board President Allena Bell for her dedication to Franklin Tomorrow, but also for her work with Musician’s On Call, where, since 2010, she was one of the first Volunteer Guides for the program, introducing the program and the volunteer musicians at the patients’ bedsides.

In this capacity, she has completed over 200 programs and brought music to nearly 3,000 patients, families and caregivers. Musicians on Call recognized her in 2018 with a golden ukulele as the top Volunteer Guide.

In addition, 17 individuals were honored during a special in memoriam program during the event for their contributions as volunteers and community leaders. Each person will be further recognized when a paver is installed at the Friends of Franklin Parks’ TSC Arena at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm, thanks to Friends of Franklin Parks and Williamson Memorial Funeral Home & Gardens.

Those honored were Floyd Anderson, Joseph Bibb, John Bragg, William Burns, Paula B. Flaugher, Wesley Fox Jr., Carolyn Ladd Freeman, James Harlin “Jim” Hayes, Bill Giddens, Janice Jordan, Nancy S. Medaugh, Sydney Robbins, Jeannine Canaan Rose, Jim Svoboda, Billy Walker Sr., Matt Warren, and Dr. Joseph Willoughby.

Nominees announced in Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards

The nominees have been announced in the annual Franklin Tomorrow Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards, which are set for Wednesday, July 24, at the Franklin Theatre, 419 Main St., in downtown Franklin.

Nominees and their nominators are:

Civic Group:

A Penny & A Prayer, nominated by Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury County; Friends of Williamson County Animal Shelter, nominated by WCAS Director Ondrea Johnson; The Kiwanis Club of Historic Downtown Franklin; Unite Williamson Angels, nominated by Mayor Ken Moore; Raise Your Hands, nominated by United Way of Williamson County; Old Glory Chapter of the DAR, nominated by Dolores Greenwald; and Mike Gengler & the Men of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, nominated by Emily Layton of WAVES.

Corporate Award:
Buerger Moseley Carson PLC, nominated by Robert Blair; and First Citizens National Bank, nominated by Sydney Ball.

Youth Initiative Award:

Zoe & Mia Hawkersmith, nominated by Dr. Jennifer Graham; Reed McKnight, nominated by Ondrea Johnson; and Lily Hensiek, nominated by Robert Blair.

Emerging Leader Award:

Allie Arnette, nominated by United Way of Williamson County; David Kelly, nominated by Joy Lehmann of United Way of Williamson County; Michelle Koehly, nominated by Lisa Carson; Kindrick McLemore, nominated by Robert Blair; James French, nominated by Marie White; Chase Harper, nominated by Debbie Henry; Kellum Ferree, nominated by Brenda Hauk of Brightstone; Sydney Ball, nominated by Deb McFarlan Enright; and Jared King, nominated by Emily Layton of WAVES.

Volunteer Spirit Award:

Patrick Baggett, nominated by Patty Bearden of Franklin Noon Rotary; Anne Hook, nominated by Lindsay Ismailovic for Gentry’s Educational Foundation; Linda McLaughlin, nominated by Nan Zierden for Arts Council of Williamson County; David Kauppila, nominated by Rain Fisher for Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury; Keith Crow & Brenda Squires Crow, nominated by Erin Saurers for Graceworks Ministries; Jackie Richards, nominated by Shannon Freeman for Fifty Forward; Mary Beth Gates, nominated by Dawn Blache for High Hopes Development Center; Julie Burns, nominated by Sunny Rosanbalm for Tucker’s House; Sean Hart, nominated by Debby Rainey of United Way of Williamson County; Mike Finucane, nominated by Ondrea Johnson of Williamson County Animal Center; Claudia Prange, nominated by Laura Alabed-Olsson for Gilda’s Club of Middle Tennessee; Joni Cole, nominated by Downtown Franklin Association & Mary Lee Bennett for Franklin Locals program; Carmen Stanek, nominated by Sydney Ball for A Vintage Affair, Cards of Care & Young Leaders Council; Judy Hollis, nominated by Emily Layton of WAVES; Dana Hardy, nominated by Mark McCutcheon of The Westhaven Foundation; Anne Logan, nominated by Ondrea Johnson of Williamson County Animal Center; Jennifer Morrison, nominated by Laura Lavery for The NOOK; Shawn Aswad, nominated by Ondrea Johnson for Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue; Mary Lee Bennett, nominated by Torianne Valdez for Musicians on Call; Sonya Johnson, nominated by Alma McLemore for African American Young Leaders Network; Bryan Doleshel, nominated by Renee Shafer for The Refuge Center & Downtown Franklin Association; Margaret Strelecki, nominated by Alisha Erickson for The PATH Project; Emily Magid, nominated by Brenda Hauk of Brightstone & numerous other organizations; and David Critchlow, nominated for his service to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Franklin Tomorrow will award the Anne T. Rutherford Exemplary Community Volunteer Award to someone from the list of nominees. Also, the Charles M. Sargent Jr. Legacy Award will be presented that evening as well.
If you would like to attend, tickets are available for purchase through the Franklin Theatre for just $25 per person. This event usually sells out so consider purchasing those tickets today through this link.
Franklin Tomorrow’s Exemplary Community volunteers are made possible through a host of partners, including Jackson National Life Insurance Company, which underwrites the use of the Franklin Theatre. Other partners include Franklin Lions Club, F&M Bank, Buerger Moseley Carson PLC, First Advantage Bank, Franklin Noon Rotary, PARKS Real Estate, and Williamson Memorial Funeral Home & Gardens. Additional support comes from The TMA Group, County Mayor Rogers Anderson, Ryan Search & Consulting, Ernie & Nell Bacon, Sen. Jack Johnson, District Attorney General Kim Helper, and Rep. Glen Casada.

The deadline for nominations for Franklin Tomorrow’s 13th annual Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards has been extended for one week until Friday, May 24, to allow for additional time to prepare nominations.

Williamson County is blessed with individuals of all ages and companies and groups of all sizes who give unselfishly of themselves to make our community a better place. Consider nominating them for one of many awards given as part of Franklin Tomorrow’s 13th annual Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards.

The ceremony will be held Wednesday, July 24, at Franklin Theatre, with a pre-event reception for ticketholders and nominees at F&M Bank. Additional information can be found in the online nomination form below. To request a complete nomination packet and form, send an email to admin@franklintomorrow.org.

Awards are presented in a variety of categories to individuals, businesses and civic groups, with one new award this year and another renamed. Being added this year is the Emerging Leader Award and the Legacy Award presented to recognize a lifetime of service to the community will be known as the Charles. M. Sargent Legacy Award. Sargent received the award in in July 2018 prior to his death later that year.

Categories for the awards include the Volunteer Spirit, which honors up to three individuals involved in altering the environment around them simply by their service and heart for their community; the Youth Initiative Award, given to individuals under the age of 21 who are involved either in a variety of community activities or primarily in one organization as a significant volunteer; and the Anne T. Rutherford Exemplary Community Volunteer Award, given to one individual to honor the collective effect of their work and the impact on the agencies themselves and the community at large.

Nomination forms may be found on Franklin Tomorrow’s web site through this link and should be submitted after completion to admin@franklintomorrow.org.

Franklin Tomorrow’s Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards are presented in partnership with Jackson National Life Insurance Company, which underwrites the cost of presentation at the Franklin Theatre. Additional support comes from Buerger, Moseley & Carson PLLC, Franklin Lions Club, Franklin Noon Rotary, and Williamson Memorial Funeral Home & Gardens, as well as other partners.

Tickets to attend the event will go on sale in late June.

For more information on being a partner, email mindy@franklintomorrow.org.

2019 Volunteer Awards nomination packet

2019 Volunteer Awards nomination packet