2018 Hope Chamber of Commerce Banquet

By Tammie Rose , 03/13/18 12:48 AM

Business of the year – Hope Floral
Educator of the year – Chris Thomason
Citizen of the year – Jerry & Twyla Pruden

There were lots of people in attendance for the Hope – Hempstead County Annual Meeting and Banquet including many elected officials. The theme this year Imagine 80 Years of Service.
The opening ceremony was kicked off with Boy Scout Troop 5 and the presentation of the colors along with the Pledge of Allegiance. Bitsy Carter then sang the National Anthem. Beckie Moore & Rodney Orr welcomed everyone and the program got under way with Arnetta Bradford singing “Find Us Faithful”. The United Way awards were presented to Tyson, Rainbow of Challenges, Wadley Regional Medical Center, New Millennium and Swepco. Paula Pack was then recognized for her many years of service and dedication to Hope and Hempstead County. Paul Henley then gave the Patriotic Award to Sheriff James Singleton for Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve. Sheriff Singleton said it hasn’t always been easy but he supports our troops and says we should pray for them daily. Beckie Moore recognized the Chamber Contact Committee who all worked hard to make this years banquet a success. She also recognized Taylor Massey for her hard work and efforts in obtaining auction items for the event. The evening continued with Hope Floral being named Business of the Year. Chris Thomason was named Educator of the Year and said he education changed his life! The next award was Citizen of the Year and for the first time ever the citizen was actually two people, a couple, Jerry & Twyla Pruden. Jerry and Twyla say that if you want a better Community to get involved and that Hope is a wonderful town. The Keynote speaker was Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty who was born and raised in Hope, Arkansas. He is a successful business man with many accomplishments. Mr. McLarty spoke of all the amazing people Hope and Hempstead County have produced. He said he still considers Hope home. As the night came to an end Becky Moore informed Mr. McLarty that Hope- Hempstead Chamber of Commerce was making a contribution to the Downtown Network in his honor.