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Chamber hosts annual Achiever Awards banquet

By Amy Lewis 

 

The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce held its 28th annual Butler County Achiever Award banquet on May 2 at the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center on the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College campus, recognizing outstanding student-athletes from across the county. The evening concluded with Fort Dale Academy seniors Anna Claire Thomas and Clay Gardner named as this year’s recipients, each receiving a $3,500 scholarship.

“Years and years ago, I listened to two young men on the field discuss the fact that they didn’t know that each other played another sport besides baseball, and they had been playing baseball together since they were six,” said Achiever Committee member Keith Taylor during remarks at the event. “And I go home that night and I see the Jimmy Hitchcock Awards in Montgomery, which is what we patterned this after, and I thought, Butler County needs something like this.”

The Achiever Award honors one male and one female student-athlete annually, chosen this year, from a pool of 31 nominees submitted by administrators from Fort Dale Academy, Georgiana School, McKenzie School and Greenville High School. Nominees are evaluated by an out-of-town panel based on academic achievement, athletic performance, church and community involvement and extracurricular honors. Final selections are made following application reviews and interviews with nominees and their parents.

Dinner for the event was provided by Uncle E’s Catering. As part of the evening’s program, 2023 award recipients Jayden McMillian and Allie Butts delivered pre-recorded remarks to the audience.

“Being a nominee for the Achiever Award is something to truly be proud of,” Butts said. “Whether or not you take home the award tonight, just being recognized in this way is a powerful statement about who you are and who you’re becoming.”

Thomas, who plans to attend Central Alabama Community College to play softball and study nursing, credited her support system.

“I’m so honored to have received this award and I want to thank the Lord and my parents and coaches for shaping me into who I am today,” she said.

Gardner shared his future aspirations with the crowd. 

“Next year I’ll be pursuing a degree in poultry science and then hopefully going into the veterinary field at Mississippi State University,” he said. “This scholarship means a lot to me because it allows me to pursue that degree in veterinary medicine.”

Reflecting on the program’s growth, Taylor praised the caliber of each year’s nominees. 

“Every year when the judges come out, some of the judges have been here for several years, some of them come for the first time,” Taylor said. “They say the same thing every time. ‘I have a much better hope for our future after interviewing these young men and young ladies’. That is a lot to be said.”

The Achiever Award continues to be made possible through the support of local businesses, organizations and individuals dedicated to investing in the next generation of leaders.