Milton Honors Volunteers Behind Its Community Organizations

The city of Milton last week recognized its volunteers of the year during its annual appreciation luncheon on Saturday, March 29.

"These hardworking residents ensure everything we do in the City of Milton is well planned, well executed and memorable," said Angela Thompson, special events and projects manager. "We couldn't do our jobs as a municipal government without them."

This year's honorees include: 

Volunteers of the Year: Jack and Francia Lindon. This husband and wife team are founding members of Milton Grows Green, starting their volunteer engagement in 2007. In the seven years since, Francia has been instrumental in the city earning the Atlanta Regional Commission's CREATE Award and helping Milton become a National Wildlife Federation Community Habitat. She also serves as communications chairwoman and secretary for the organization, creating logos, signage, brochures and branding. 

Jack serves as chairman of Milton Grows Green, organizing household paint and chemical collection events, providing logistics for the annual Earth Day Festival, launching the Adopt-A-Stream Program and planning the yearly Rivers Alive clean-ups in the fall. 

"The Lindons have volunteered hundreds of hours annually to make the City of Milton a cleaner and greener community, and we are extremely grateful for their efforts," said Cindy Eade, environmental sustainability coordinator. 

Parks and Recreation Volunteer of the Year: David Winsness. Winsness is the founder of EagleStix Lacrosse Club, which is now the second largest recreation program in Milton with 225 girls. Founded in 2011, EagleStix takes athletes as young as four to the high school level in both recreation and advanced levels of play. 

The program serves as a feeder for Milton and Cambridge's programs, and has been instrumental in the Milton Lady Eagles' string of eight state lacrosse championships in nine years.  

"What David has been able to do with this program is simply incredible," said Jim Cregge, parks and recreation director. "It's been a pleasure seeing EageStix become the powerhouse for lacrosse in this area."

Special Honoree: Peyton Jamison. Longtime Milton volunteer Peyton Jamison currently serves on the Milton Planning Commission, Better Together and is the president of the non-profit Crabapple Community Association. 

In addition to his regular volunteer duties with the city, Jamison was instrumental in launching the revamped Crabapple Fest in 2013 due to the city's partnership with CCA. In this role he spent hours planning and executing the largest festival in Milton's modern history.  

Board and Committee Members of the Year
One member of each of the city's volunteer boards or committees was nominated by the staff liaison as representative of the year. These honorees included:

• Better Together: Teri Harrison
• Planning Commission: Paul Moore
• Design Review Board: Marty Littleton
• Board of Zoning Appeals: Gary Willis
• Historic Preservation Commission: Travis Allen
• Disability Awareness Committee: Tass Welch