Sen. Blake Tillery accepts the recognition as Library Champion from State Librarian Julie Walker (L) as Ohoopee Regional Library System Director Cameron Asbell (R) listens.
Ground was broken on the renovations and expansion of the Dr. Mark and Tonya Spivey Library in Vidalia last week, but before that festivity began, local State Senator Blake Tillery was honored at a reception at The Altama Museum of Art and History as Georgia’s Public Library Champion of the Year.
Julie Walker, State Librarian and Associate Vice Chancellor for Libraries said, “The Library Champion of the Year is the most important award to me because it recognizes people in the community for contributing to the library. We solicit nominations, and then have a committee to go through those and make the selection, and I’ve got to tell you: We got a lot of nominations for Sen. Blake Tillery, so it was an easy choice.”
Humbly accepting the honor, Sen. Tillery said, “I am thankful, but this honor isn’t about me; it’s about you, the community. The State awarded $3 million in funding for the library project, but it’s not MY money. It belongs to you, the people of Georgia, and this project may be the best example of local, state, and community leaders working together in state. This Is not about me. It’s about US and I just want to thank you for voting for me and supporting what I do so I can do what I can to reinvest into our community.”