The Dillon County Chamber of Commerce awards were presented at their annual banquet.

J. Todd Davis, mayor of the City of Dillon, was named the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year at the Chamber’s annual banquet on Thursday.
Davis has lived most of his life in Dillon County. He is a graduate of Dillon High School and of Francis Marion University. He is a family man and a dedicated business owner with a desire to help others. Davis is an avid animal lover and a rescuer. He has given his time to the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce, Dillon Rotary Club, and Dillon First Baptist Church. Davis will soon be ending 16 years of outstanding service to the City of Dillon. He has a strong focus on improving the quality of life for the citizens of Dillon.
During his tenure, the City of Dillon Wellness Center was built and opened in 2007. It has not only helped to improve the health of its members, but also serves as a social center and location for many worthwhile community activities. Also during his time in office, several improvements have been made to the Dillon City Sports Complex, which has been the host of several state tournaments. The city also took over the golf course at Twin Lakes Country Club and created the City of Dillon Municipal Golf Course, which not only provides another recreational outlet for citizens, but also has played host to tournaments that benefit numerous charitable causes.
The city has made improvements to the parks, and they are currently focusing on Harmon Park.
Davis’ most recent focus has been revitalizing Dillon’s Main Street. The city has established facade grants and upfit grants to help accomplish this goal.
None of these things would have been accomplished without Davis’ vision and leadership.
Davis is the son of Donald and Saranne Davis and is married to Lynne Cottingham Davis.They have two children, Bryan, a freshman at USC, and Jon Michael, a sophomore at Dillon Christian School. He is the proud owner of several fur babies.
Davis spoke about how appreciative he was upon receiving the award.

The Dolph Braddy Award was presented to Dorothy Alford Bethea at the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Thursday.
The Dolph Braddy Award was established by the Braddy family to honor the memory of Mr. Dolph by recognizing individuals who display significant community involvement in civil, cultural, educational, historical, and religious activities that contribute to the betterment of life in Dillon County and for its citizens.
Bethea has a long and storied life and career. Educated in the Dillon County public schools, first at Pine Hill Elementary School, then the Dillon Colored School where she obtained a high school diploma. After high school, she enrolled at Allen University in Columbia and received a degree as a media specialist. After graduation she pursued a career in teaching where she would remain until her retirement, teaching at Gordon Elementary, South Elementary, Minturn Grove, Maple School, and Latimer School.
Bethea has served in many capacities in our community.
A lifelong member of Pine Hill A.M.E. and is the church financial secretary. She was instrumental in obtaining a historical marker for the former location of Pine Hill School, a Rosenwald School, which burned in the 1970’s. She is past worthy matron of Chapter #217 Order of the Eastern Star, past grand supervisor deputy of the Pee Dee District of Dillon, Marlboro, Marion and Mullins, and past secretary of the Amaryllis Garden Club. In addition, she is the past-president, past executive director of the Dillon Criterion Recreational Center, member of the board of directors for the Dillon County Theatre Association, a member of the NAACP and a Notary Public for the state of South Carolina. The list could go on and on.
There is no telling the number of lives she has touched. The award was presented by Pat Laird, a past recipient of the award.

The 2018 Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award was presented at the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Thursday. The award was presented by Johnnie Luehrs, Executive Director of the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce. She stated in presenting the award to Bridget Thorton. Thorton is the downtown coordinator for the City of Dillon.
“Volunteers are becoming more important every day. A monetary value of $22.22 has been assigned to the value of a volunteer. I personally feel that is too low. Volunteers are the backbone of our community and a saving grace to the Dillon County Chambers of Commerce.
Many countless hours are provided to the Chamber by volunteers. Some even go outside their comfort zone to assist with project events, Grand Opening and at times just a ‘Listening Ear”.

Duke Energy presented their Citizenship Service Award at the Dillon County Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Thursday. The winner this year is the Methodist Men of Main Street United Methodist Church.
The Methodist Men is an organization which gives very generously of its time, talents and resources to others in Dillon. This group of about 40 men are involved in building handicap ramps for qualified individuals, hosting events to raise money for the Red Cross, providing food boxes for those in need at Christmas, among many other things.
Roy T. Bennett said, “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.” The group believes their mission is to simply help others who are in need in their community, and they do so without any reservation or desire for recognition.
In order to recognize people and organization that make a difference in the communities they serve, Duke Energy established the Duke Energy Citizenship Award to honor citizens or organizations for their volunteer leadership.
This is a tribute to those who make a difference in their community by using their time, talents and compassion to positively impact the live of others.
Recipients of the award help foster a culture of citizenship and service that acts as a catalyst for others to become involved in civic and social activities.
The award was presented by George Hatcher