ARTHUR “ART” HAMMOND IS THE 2020 RECIPIENT OF THE BAIN PROCTOR AWARD FOR VOLUNTEERISM
Volunteerism is the practice of working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain.
The Bain Proctor award is typically presented in the month of April during National Volunteer week. Due to the importance that this award holds within our community and given the current circumstances, the award was held until it could be presented in person at the June 1, 2020, County Commissioners Meeting.
The award dates back to 2004, when the Spalding County Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission recommended to the Spalding County Board of Commissioners that a volunteer award be established that would recognize the citizens of the county who demonstrated meaningful and substantial volunteer services to the community. The award was then named in honor of one of Griffin-Spalding’s most well known and beloved volunteers, Bain Proctor.
Kelly Carmichael, Leisure Service Manager, stated it beautifully when she presented the award to Mr. Hammond.
“When reading this volunteer’s nomination, the first thing that comes mind is ‘Servant Leader.’ He has served this community in a volunteer capacity for at least 45 years and most often within a position of leadership. The spirit of volunteerism embodies him, and he has touched more areas of this community than most.
He has been a member of Griffin Rotary since the mid-1970s, and has served or held a position, within our county in the following organizations: The Griffin Area Concert Association, Griffin Choral Arts, Friends of the Griffin-Spalding Library, Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce, Griffin-Spalding United Way, Southern Crescent Technical College, Salvation Army of Griffin, Flint River Regional library, Pine Valley Girl Scouts, Stepping Stones Educational Therapy Center, Gordon College Foundation, and the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority. Not only is Mr. Hammond a selfless individual within Spalding County, but he has dedicated time to other enriching organizations in surrounding counties. A true volunteer is one who unselfishly shares their personal time and talents to improve the lives of others without compensation or personal gain. They leave a lasting imprint upon the lives around them and change them forever. Its people like this who make lasting changes in a community and make it better.”
Spalding County is blessed to have so many individuals who freely give of their time and talents and judging multiple award nominations which highlight volunteerism is an extremely difficult task. To keep the judging fair and completely nonbiased, a committee of 5 non-related citizens independently reviewed and scored each submitted nomination.
