Exemplary Community Volunteer Award

Franklin Tomorrow held its fifth annual Shrimp Boil Saturday, July 9, using the event to present the Anne T. Rutherford Exemplary Community Volunteer Award to Heritage Foundation immediate Past President David Garrett for his efforts to spearhead the restoration and reopening of the Franklin Theatre.

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Dickinson Wright PLLC sponsored the event, with additional sponsorship from Bob Parks Realty and Cadence Bank. Susan and Walt Gorman donate monetary honorariums to the non-profit organization of choice of the winners.  Garrett was nominated by Heritage Foundation Executive Director Mary Pearce, who said in her nomination, “I have had a front row seat for the past four years and I can say we could not have saved the Franklin Theatre without the leadership of David Garrett. He is a true leader in that he never asked more than he is willing to do.

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“David is an awesome leader, a great preservationist and full of ideas but he is just as quick to be seen putting up a tent at a festival, hauling Heritage Foundation books or helping clean up after an event. He is ‘hands on’ and not just someone who is a corporate sponsor — but his firm does support local events with sponsorship dollars,” Pearce said.

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Garrett is a partner in Cheatham, Palermo & Garrett, a law firm with offices in Nashville and Franklin. While accepting the award, Garrett dedicated the $500 honorarium — and pledged he and wife Vivian would match it — to the newly formed Friends of Franklin Parks LLC, which was founded by Franklin Tomorrow in April 2011 to accept tax-deductible donations for park improvements in Williamson County.  Garrett specifically donated his money for improvements at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm, a 200-acre facility located on Franklin Road which is often referred to as the birthplace of the Tennessee Walking Horse.

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Also receiving Volunteer Spirit Awards that night were Art Helf, for his support of Franklin’s adopted soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne; Bill Veevers, for his work in reconstituting the Williamson County Fair; Sarah McGinley, for her dedicated support of Meals on Wheels and other works at First United Methodis Church in Franklin; Peggy Smith, for her dedication to the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin and Williamson County; and Tom Lawrence, for his widespread support of various charitable organizations, both personally and as general manager of WAKM-AM 950 Radio.

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Youth Initiative Awards were presented to Claire Franks, for her more than 600 hours of volunteer service to New Hope Academy in Franklin during the past year; and to Nick Tucker, who is the Middle Tennessee Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs and a local member.

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Disaster Relief Awards were presented to Joe Chapdelaine of the Williamson County Long Term Recovery Committee; and J.D. Inman, for his work in the Hincheyville neighborhood in downtown Franklin following the May 2010 floods and their recovery.

The Ned Lea Lifetime Service Award was presented posthumously to Janice Keck, longtime Williamson County Public Library Director, who died unexpectedly in February. Keck was honored for her support of the arts, the written word and cultural understanding as a member of the Sister Cities of Franklin & Williamson County Board of Directors.

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