Chamber honors Mincey, Lovette
Matthew Mincey, above, accepts the Outstanding Citizen of the Year award from Chamber President Marylou Molina after she presents the Volunteer of the Year award, below, to Charity Lovette.
Story & Photos
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
Erin Mincey was honored as Outstanding Citizen of the Year and Charity Lovette was named Volunteer of the Year during the 79th annual banquet of the Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.
Town Manager Josh Ward was the evenings featured speaker at The Todd House Wedding & Event Center; Columbus County Clerk of Court Jess Hill administered the oath to chamber officers and introduced guests, and the Rev. Billy Roy of Crossroads Church offered the invocation and closing prayer.
Chamber President Marylou Molina presented an overview of the year just ended and the chamber’s mission to “Put feet in the streets” to support local business.
Citizen
Mincey is “someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty for the betterment of the Tabor City community,” said Molina, who presented both the Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year awards.
A “mother, wife, daughter, friend, volunteer, and so much more,” Mincey “has worked outside of the home from her home office the majority of her adult life,” Molina said.
Active in school PTO’s and a parent council, band boosters at South Columbus High, Mincey is a board member and chairperson for the North Carolina Yam Festival at Tabor City and “was selected as one of the ’15 Under 40’ in 2020.”
Erin Mincey was unable to attend the banquet. Her son Matthew accepted the award for her.
Clerk of Court Jess Hill administers the oath of office to chamber President Marylou Molina, Vice President Kandi Dill, and board member Joe Small (from right) during Tuesday’s Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
Volunteer
Molina described Lovette as “always ready and willing to assist in the Chamber Office and with the NC Yam Festival,” lending a hand to Cynthia Nelson who serves as the chamber’s Executive Vice President and Yam Festival Manager.
Lovette is “always a phone call away when Cynthia needs a little extra help whether it’s with paperwork, phone calls, typing notes, and lists, or out running errands in town,” Molina said. “She evens makes food runs when the days are long and those around her may think they just will not get to stop for a bite to eat.”
The daughter of renowned Yam Festival mascot Curtis “Tiger Tater” Lovette, Charity “has traveled many miles with her Daddy as the Yam Man, so the volunteer spirit is engrained in her to the core,” Molina said.
Charity seemed genuinely surprised. Molina noted that “Charity stated not long ago that it was one of her goals to receive this award some day in the future. Surprise, Charity! You had no clue it was coming so soon.”
Look for more on this story in today’s Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and on-line.
