Volunteer Award Renamed
Horizon Award Renamed the James A Gill Volunteer of the Year Award
The
Carroll County Chamber of Commerce has renamed the annual award recognizing
exemplary volunteer service to honor community leader Jim Gill. At the recent
Chamber annual Membership BBQ, Gill was awarded the Horizon Award, now known as
the James A. Gill Horizon Award.
The award
is a special recognition presented to individual Chamber members for
outstanding volunteerism who have made significant contributions of time and
effort to the local Chamber and the business community. Beginning in
January 2020, that award will be renamed the James A. Gill Volunteer of the
Year Award in recognition of his valuable and selfless commitment to so many
organizations, including the Carroll Chamber and Carroll Tomorrow.
“At the
heart of every community are certain volunteers who go above and beyond to make
their communities great,” said Daniel Jackson, president, and CEO of the Carroll
Chamber and Carroll Tomorrow. “These volunteers improve their communities
through an outstanding commitment to service with no expectation of praise or
recognition. Jim Gill is just such a person.”
Gill
moved to Carroll County from Columbus, Georgia in 1984. He enjoyed a
fifty-year career with Citizen Bank and Trust of West Georgia (CB&T) and Synovus Bank and is part of the
Synovus Leadership Hall of Fame.
Gill has
been an active member with Sertoma International since 1970. His Sertoma
service highlights include serving as club president, Georgia Governor,
International Director and Sertoma International President 1982-83, launching eight clubs including the Carroll County
Club, and earning the Sertoma Lifetime Service Award. He and his wife
Cheryl are life patrons of the Sertoma Foundation.
Gill has been active in Tanner Medical
Foundation’s Magnolia Ball since its founding in 1990. Jim has volunteered for
25 years and in 2001 he and his wife, Cheryl, served as the Magnolia Ball
Honorees. The Magnolia Ball is a signature fundraiser for the area health
system’s foundation and has raised over $10 million to increase access to
comprehensive, high-quality healthcare for communities in west Georgia and east
Alabama. Jim served as a member of the Tanner Medical Foundation Board of
Directors for over 15 years with a term as the Vice-Chair. From 1991
through 2016, Jim was also a member of the Tanner Medical Center, Inc. Board of
Directors.
Gill has
created a strong legacy of giving back to the community. He has served on
several boards of directors, including: Tanner Medical and Foundation boards,
University of West Georgia Foundation Board of Trustees, Carroll City/County
Hospital Authority, Hospice Care of Carroll County, Georgia Bankers
Association, Boy Scouts of America, Carrollton Rotary Club, Carroll County
Educational Foundation, Carrollton High Athletic Booster Club Hall of Fame,
Carroll County Leaders Association, Friends of the Association of Remarkable Citizens,
and the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce where he also served as Chairman in
1997 and was honored as Business Person of the year in 1982 and Citizen of the Year in 2001.
Gill has
been an avid supporter and loyal friend to the University of West
Georgia. He has served on the UWG Foundation Board of Trustees since 1988
and is a life member as well as served as its chairperson from 1991-94.
He is active with A DAY and has chaired several UWG committees. He was
instrumental in establishing the Named Presidential Scholar Program. In addition, he was a member of the Stadium
Development Committee, has been a member of the UWG Booster Club, served as a
member of the Board of Directors and as interim vice president of Alumni and
Development, and was named as an Honorary Alumnus for UWG in 1995.
Jackson
noted that Gill mentored him years ago saying that healthcare, education,
government, and the local Chamber of Commerce are the cornerstones to the
economic health of any community.
“He would
tell me if these four cornerstones run well, the community prospers and everyone
prospers in the long run,” said Jackson.
Gill was
one of the original 26 members of the steering committee that created Carroll
Tomorrow. Gill currently serves as the treasurer of Carroll Tomorrow, and he
serves as Chairman of the Carrollton Payroll Development Authority.
Gill
received a standing ovation as family, friends, and colleagues recognized him
at the 2019 Membership BBQ and Awards Celebration. Jackson, holding an
oversized shoe prop at the event, concluded, “Mr. Gill has left a big imprint on
the community and future leaders will have big shoes to fill.”
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