You may have read recently in the local newspaper about Charity League being the recipient of the Matthew Fontanie Maury Distinguished Service Award that was presented at the Thomas Jefferson Awards Program by the Virginia Natural History Museum. A summary of The League’s financial and volunteer contributions was shared with the audience during the presentation. My first official job as president of The League was to except The Distinguished Service Award on behalf of the League. The beautiful plague will be shared at the June meeting and displayed on a wall at the office downtown. 

Many of the program’s participants came up after the presentation to congratulate me and to share how impressed they were by all of the contributions the League has made over the years. I smiled graciously and said thank you, but I felt a little guilty receiving all the attention for what was the result of approximately 400 dedicated women over the past seventy-six years. 

I want to thank these women for leaving a legacy for which I am proud to be a part in its continuation. I want to particularly thank Lee Ann Fuller, immediate past president, for her hard work. She was instrumental in updating the documents associated with The League, making The Year of the Child a success, and many other contributions. She has left big shoes to fill. For me to serve The Charity League of Martinsville and Henry County as president for the coming year is quite an honor and I look forward to the opportunity. If you have suggestion of how we may better continue our mission, please let me know. The business phone number is 638-3543.