Our 2018 Community Citizen Award goes to...
It was a special night for Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society President Bob Harding and members of his organization, as the non-profit group received the 2018 Community Citizen Award from the Dartmouth Grange.
The award is presented to recognize an individual or organization’s community service efforts in town. The Dartmouth Grange handed out the award during its Grange Month event on April 3.
Grange President Elizabeth Newton said the committee has met over the past few month reviewing possible recipients for the award. Newton said when the historical society was looked at, the answer became obvious.
“The organization is so active in preserving and education about local history and the culture, the arts, visual arts,” Newton said. “They have so much going on on their website — adding so much to it all the time. They are doing very commendable work and they’re all dedicated.”
Grange lecturer and Harding’s friend Sarah Cogswell introduced the historical society at the awards ceremony. She reflected on her time spent attending various events at the historical society’s Russells Mills Schoolhouse location.
She also spoke about how much the organization has expanded its efforts and research into the history of the town. Cogswell commended the group on the upkeep of its website as well, which allows residents to access information or records historians have come across.
Harding accepted the award for the organization, and gave a brief speech about his relationship to the Grange, some of its members, and the surrounding community. Several other members were on hand to watch him accept the award.
“It is something that the whole organization has earned and it’s a sign of what happens when many people work together for one goal,” Harding said. “We’ve been working hard and it looks like we’ve become successful enough to be recognized by a sister organization which has real roots here in Dartmouth.”