Gerding Awarded National Award of Merit

On Tuesday, January 16, the Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains held its 14th Annual. Dinner to celebrate the 2006 Volunteers of the Year and to share the year’s accomplishments with their investors. Among the honorees is Jim Gerding, long time supporter of the organization, who was the recipient of the prestigious National Award of Merit for his volunteer spirit and financial investment in the Club. The National Award of Merit is bestowed upon a non-Board volunteer who has made a tremendous impact on the lives of Boys & Girls Club youth in his community. The nomination must be approved by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Board of Governors and only a representative of the national organization may present the award. Southeast Regional Vice-President Chet Nichols presented Gerding with his award, as well as inducting the new Board members and swearing in the new officers. The newly inducted Board members are Rob Ailey, Fred Atchley, Dr. William Frye, Eric Johnson and Steve Layman. Carol Agee was not able to attend and will be inducted at a later time. Newly elected officers are Elizabeth Urquhart (president), Kay Collier-Pittman (vice-president), Lee Wertheim (secretary) and Gary Perkins (treasurer). According to Executive Director Mark Ross, “The Annual Dinner allows us to truly honor those people who continually give their time and talent to the 1400 members of our Club. They are who enable us to impact the youth of our community in such a positive manner.” In addition to Gerding’s award, the organization honored four Board members and each branch honored their Volunteer of the Year. From the Board of Directors, Lorraine Hendricks was honored for her 15 years of continuous service, Linda Ogle received the Woman & Youth Award, Fran Delozier was selected as the Board Member of the Year, and Brian Jensen is the New Board Member of the Year. The members of the First United Methodist Church in Gatlinburg also received the special Helping Hands Award for their service above and beyond the call of duty.