Macon – The Technical College Foundation Association (TCFA) of Georgia has announced the winners of its 2009 Volunteer of the Year and Benefactor of the Year awards. The announcements were made on Thursday, October 15, during the TCFA’s annual meeting at the Macon Marriott City Center.

The TCFA’s Volunteer of the Year and Benefactor of the Year awards recognize the outstanding contributions that college foundation trustees, community leaders and major donors from across the state have made on behalf of the colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia.  The winners embody the ideals of philanthropy, leadership and volunteerism in the service to Georgia’s technical colleges, which last year enrolled more than 156,000 students in certificate, degree and diploma programs.

The recipient of the 2009 TCFA Volunteer of the Year award was William “Bill” Pinto, who was nominated by the Atlanta Technical College Foundation.  Pinto, the president of Hardin Construction Company, is a long-time supporter of Atlanta Technical College and its students.  He has leveraged many hours of his personal time and used his influence in the commercial construction industry to secure donations for many of the college’s programs, facilities, and its foundation.

The 2009 TCFA Benefactor of the Year was Orchard Hills Golf Properties, which was represented by Jim Mottola and Joe Crain.  Their company donated 38 acres of prime real estate in Coweta County that will allow what was then-known as West Central Technical College (now West Georgia Technical College) to build a new, stand-alone campus.  The land was worth $1.7 million and is one of the single largest land gifts ever made to a technical college in Georgia. 

The Volunteer of the Year and Benefactor of the Year each received a $1,000 check which will be donated to their respective foundations for student scholarships.  Each winner also received a commemorative Frabel glass sculpture in recognition of their generosity and commitment to their respective colleges.

In addition to the winners, nine other individuals or companies others were nominated in recognition of their service to their local technical colleges, including Randy Wooten, who was nominated as a Volunteer of the Year by the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation.

The remaining eight were Benefactor of the Year nominees:

ADP Incorporated, nominated by the Augusta Technical College Foundation,

S. S. “Buck” Anderson, nominated by the East Central Technical College Foundation;

Archbold Memorial Hospital, nominated by the Southwest Georgia Technical College Foundation;

Cornell Cabinets & Millworks, Incorporated, nominated by the Valdosta Technical College Foundation;

Sheryl Riley Gripper (Vice President of Community Relations, WXIA-TV) and Ingrid Saunders Jones (Senior VP Corporate External Affairs, Coca-Cola), nominated by the Atlanta Technical College Foundation;

Clarence Smith, nominated by the Moultrie Technical College Foundation;
 
Wellstar Health System, nominated by both the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation and the North Metro Technical College Foundation.

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