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By Felix Hoover
For YourNewsColumbus Posted 05-13-09
The first of this week's two big anniversary events at the King Arts
Complex took place Tuesday evening with the presentation of the 2009
Dream Awards.
The ceremony, hosted by the Women's Service Board and National City
Bank, leads into the 22nd Anniversary Gala to be held at 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 16. at the complex, 867 Mount Vernon Ave.
Dream Awards are the highest honors bestowed by the complex to its
supporters, Executive Director Barbara Nicholson said. The awards
embrace the notion espoused by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that
"service is the greatest gift one could bestow on humankind."
After a reception catered by Ms. B's Just Wonderful, King Board
President Larry H. James presented the welcome. Additional greetings
were delivered by Jack Winchester, National City vice president and
executive director, community development association, and Carlene
Weddington, president of the Women's Service Board.
Names of two Dream Awards winners had been released in advance,
former arts complex administrator Sandi Smith, now senior community
research and grant management officer at the Columbus Foundation,
and corporate honoree JP Morgan Chase. Jeff Lyttle, Midwest Region
vice president, corporate philanthropy, accepted the honor for
Chase.
Smith worked at the complex even before Nicholson and was "the glue"
who held things together in the early days.
Chase has made tremendous philanthropic contributions to the King
Arts Complex, the city and numerous cities around the world.
Most of the crowd knew there was to be a third award, but the name
had not been disclosed ahead of time.
An angelic glissando from harpist Trisha Hill accompanied the
announcement of Weddington, as the third honoree.
Reacting with surprise Weddington said, "I'm slipping; I should have
persisted in getting that third name."
Others were pleased that she had persisted in reviving the Women's
Service Board and making it a strong fundraising arm of the complex.
Weddington's son, State Rep. W. Carlton Weddington, said he passed
up six other events to attend the awards ceremony. He presented his
mother a congratulatory resolution and promised to do likewise for
Smith and Chase at the gala on Saturday.
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