Member, Business of the Year also awarded
The Gilmer Chamber named a longtime member of numerous local civic groups its Citizen of the Year (COTY), while also recognizing its Member and Business of the Year, at the chamber’s annual meeting and award reception Saturday, Jan. 28. The gala celebration was held for the first time at Engelheim Vineyards’ event venue.
Trent Sanford, 2023 COTY, said he was surprised and honored to receive the award, which recognizes commitment to the local community over one’s lifetime, not just the past year.
“I’m honored to be on the list with all the other (COTY recipients),” Sanford said.
A Gilmer County native, Sanford is currently involved with several local groups including the Gilmer Optimist Club, of which he is a past president and current treasurer; the Gilmer Republican Party and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where he’s held numerous leadership positions.
Over the years, he’s also been involved with the Jaycees as president of the local chapter and state president of the Georgia Jaycees, the local library trustee board, the Apple festival board and the chamber board, of which he’s a former chairman.
The current controller at Ronnie Thompson Ford, Sanford said he’s often nominated to serve in the treasurer’s role. “When I join an organization, its seems like they always want to hand me the checkbook,” he said.
In the past, Sanford was heavily involved with two local Christmas outreach programs, both of which got started here under his leadership.
Before Gilmer’s Toys for Tots program was revived about 13 years ago, the local Jaycees chapter headed the annual toy drive and distribution campaign. The first one in Ellijay was in 1982, and the Jaycees handled the local Toys for Tots effort till the chapter folded in the ‘90s.
After the Gilmer Jaycees disbanded, Sanford saw there was still a need for this type of Christmas outreach program for families with kids. That’s how the White Christmas program, which later came under the direction of the Ellijay Lions Club, was started, he said.
“At first, it wasn’t under any civic club. The Jaycees were no longer doing Toys for Tots, and we just saw the need. It really was a massive undertaking for the about 8-10 individuals who were doing it,” Sanford remembered. “A lot of the people who (helped start it) are gone now, but some are still around. Several Lions Club members and several past Jaycees were involved with it, so it was a natural progression for the Lions to take it over.”
Sanford is proud to announce that Gilmer County again has an active Jaycees chapter, which was officially restarted in December.
“Most of our civic organizations, their membership is focused in their 50s, 60s or 70s, but the Jaycees is for folks in their 20s and 30s. When you turn 40, you basically age out of the club. That’s one of the reasons it disappeared before. If you don’t keep recruiting young people, everybody ages out,” Sanford said. “It gives a unique opportunity for young people to get involved in their community, and that was the main reason we wanted to start it back up.”
It’s still too early to discuss future projects for the new Jaycees, but Sanford noted that the club isn’t limited to helping one specific age group or cause.
“Whereas the Optimist Club is targeted straight at (helping) youth, the Jaycees have the ability to be involved with whatever they want to in the community,” he said. “In the past, the old club started the rodeo that still comes to town. We put the Christmas decorations up around the streets in Ellijay, and we brought the first fireworks show to Gilmer County.”
Paul Nealey, Ronnie Thompson Ford dealer principal and 2022 COTY recipient, presented the 2023 award to Sanford.
“That was pretty unique. I think that’s the first time a boss has ever presented it to one of their employees,” Sanford said.
Trent’s brother, Kent Sanford, is a past Citizen of the Year recipient. In another COTY first, they are the first two brothers to both receive the award.
Catherine Weis, of Chris Wang State Farm Insurance, was named the chamber’s Sally Daniels Member of the Year.
“I had no idea, and I was so shocked and speechless,” said Weis about receiving the award, which recognizes a chamber member’s commitment to the organization’s various functions and projects.
Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Weis said moved here six years ago and has felt at home ever since. “I just feel really blessed to be part of this amazing community,” she added.
Her involvement with the chamber started with taking its leadership classes, and continued as a chamber ambassador.
“We’re kind of like the frontlines of what the chamber does. It’s an awesome program and you meet a lot of awesome people in the community, she said about the ambassador program.
Weis said being chosen to receive the award named for longtime chamber volunteer Sally Daniels, who passed away in 2021, has added because Daniels was a friend.
“When I moved here, she was very kind. She was one of the people who took me under their wing and was very encouraging,” she added.
Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation (AEMC) was named the chamber’s Business of the Year.
The not-for-profit electric co-op currently provides electricity and related services to 54,000 consumers in 10 north Georgia counties. Its primary service area is Pickens, Gilmer, Dawson, north Cherokee and northwest Lumpkin County.
The electricity provider “always being on call and ready to respond to any outage” and its numerous community improvement programs, including a local scholarship fund for graduating high school students and Bright Ideas, which allocates special project funds to teachers, are among the attributes that earned AEMC the award, the chamber noted.
Todd Payne, Amicalola’s CEO, said he appreciates the chamber “recognizing the men and women who keep the lights on.”
“On behalf of our board of directors, our management team and all the employees of Amicalola EMC, we thank the Gilmer Chamber for this prestigious award. We are proud to serve our consumers in Gilmer County, which make up about one third of our total member base,” Payne added.