Darlington's own Luke Chaffin, content manager in the Communication Office, is one of seven local "unsung heroes" to be selected as recipients of the 2016 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor.
Chaffin, this year's Young Heart honoree, has served as content manager at Darlington since October 2014. A native of Douglasville, Ga., he attended Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he received a degree in broadcast journalism.
"The Darlington Community is so proud of Luke," said Tannika Wester, director of communications. "One of the things I was most excited about when we hired him was his involvement in our community. He continues to go above and beyond to make Rome and Floyd County better. Luke has truly embraced the idea of 'Service Beyond Self' in his own life, which makes him a great role model for our students."
Chaffin's community involvements include:
Rome Area Heritage Foundation Board
Rome Downtown Development Authority
Free Clinic of Rome volunteer
Rome Historic Preservation Commission
Leadership Rome XXXI
Coosa River Basin Initiative — River Revelry, Catfish Kissin’ Contest
Between the Rivers Association Board of Directors
Rome First United Methodist Church Board of Trustees, Hospitality Minister, Costa Rica Mission Team
Rome Area Council for the Arts Board
Junior Service League Follies
Planning Committee for Rome Symphony Orchestra Wine & Jazz Festival
Planning Committee for Rome Beer Festival
Planning Committee for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Aids Resource Council of Rome event host
Event host for Rome Shakespeare Festival
Harbor House Adult Spell-off
Feature Writer for V3 Magazine
"The most impressive characteristic about Luke is he never asks for anything in return for all he gives to the people and organizations around him," said Ali Freeman, physician liaison at Harbin Clinic, in her nomination letter.
Other 2016 Heart of the Community recipients with a connection to Darlington include Board of Governor's honoree Dr. Sidney Bell, a former trustee and parent of alumni; Thornwood alumna and parent of alumni Christa (Cline) Jackson ('73T); and current parent Allison Smith Watters. Elaina Beeman, Tonya Marie Davis and Vargo Orthodontics will also receive awards.
All honorees will be recognized on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the 30th annual “Affair of the Heart” banquet. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.
These awards are sponsored each year by Redmond Regional Medical Center and produced by the Heart of the Community Board of Governors.
Click here to read the Rome News-Tribune article about the 2016 honorees, which was published on Sunday, Jan. 4.
