The CRC Honorees were recognized in a proclamation ceremony on Sunday.
More than 100 people were present Sunday for a Proclamation Ceremony recognizing the 2015 Marin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Honorees named by the Community Relations Commission.
The ceremony formally presented the six honorees with the proclamation read into the legislative record at the State Assembly on March 13, by State Rep. Trey Kelley.
CRC president Jennifer Hudson said the selection of the honorees is in response to a question posed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “He said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ These are individuals in Polk County who are making a difference by ‘doing for others’. They are not doing what they do for recognition but to improve the lives of others, and so we celebrate these individuals for their contributions.”
Sunday’s event was held at Cedar Lake Christian Center in Cedartown. Participating in the ceremony were: Pastor Demetrius Crespo was master of ceremony; Deacon Forrest McCombs, Sr., Cedar Spring Baptist Church gave the welcome; Desiree Whatley of Thankful Baptist Church performed a solo; Hudson, president of the CRC, introduced the speaker, Doyle Kelley, who was filling in for his son Trey Kelley, who was not able to be present; Rev. Neil Hopper, Senior Pastor, Cedar Lake Christian Center, presented the proclamations, and Apostle Trixie Morgan, of Zion: A Habitation of God’s Glory and Praise, gave the benediction.
The ceremony was fol- lowed by the sharing of food and fellowship in Ledbetter Hall. The honorees are:
Vanessa Holmes initiated the first Polk County Black History Parade in Rockmart in 2014. She
has been Youth Director at Morning Star Baptist Church for the past 18 years. She started writing small skits that were performed at Morning Star Baptist and other churches. Later she turned the skits into plays that were performed at Nathan Dean Center.
Estella Lavonne McDermott is known for her helping hand in many areas, from tutoring students to providing rides to doctor’s appointments. She founded the Mamie R. Hammock Memorial Scholarship, which provides two $1000 scholarships to Cedartown High School graduates pursuing degrees in health occupations and/or education.
Barbara Prater Harris has a passion for cooking that she puts to work at the community food bank supported by Zion: A Habitation of God’s Glory and Praise.
Dorothy Talley Lusby oversees the Food Bank Ministry of Zion, which feeds approximately 100 people every Tuesday. She is an elder at Zion: A Habitation of God’s Glory and Praise.
Robert W. Barton began his radio ministry in 1972. His program, Early Morning Gospel Time, airs each Sunday on WKNG 1060 in Tallapoosa. He has served as a board member and personnel chairman for Our House, an organization for battered women, and is presently a member of the Our House Advisory Board. He served a three-year term on the Polk County Board of Equalization.
Rev. Nancy Frazier English is the daugh- ter of the late Mildred and Preston Frazier. She is pastor of the Lindsey Chapel United Methodist Church, president of the Our House Administrative Board of Directors, president of the Murphy-Harpst Auxiliary, and a chaplain for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. She is a member of the Georgia Welsh Society, a soprano with the 3 Rivers Singers of Rome, and secretary of the Rome Music Lovers.
The CRC is a civic club that includes among its activities the organization and promotion of events such as the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast in January. Its board members are Jennifer Hudson, Pastor Demetrius Crespo, Lynda Kelley Dave, Rev. Nancy Frazier English, Linda Frieson, Barbara Glanton, Forrest E. McCombs, Sr., Apostle Trixie Morgan, and Joan Young.
The CRC meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at the Turner Street Community Center in Cedartown.