- EXCELLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY
The Walton Award
- Sponsored by AP WEALTH MANAGEMENT
- About the Award
The George & Dorothy Walton award is presented annually to an Augusta-area couple who exemplifies the legacy and values of George and Dorothy Walton. The award recognizes a lifestyle of community service, selflessness, hospitality, courage, and devotion.
The winning couple invited to choose a 501(c)(3) organization based in the CSRA to receive a substantial monetary donation given in their honor.
HISTORY
George & Dorothy Walton were a couple of the American Revolution whose relentless efforts and generous service left a lasting mark on the state of Georgia and the Central Savannah River Region.
They were life-long public servants who humbly served their community, seeking no recognition or praise.


AWARD
Presented annually, this award honors a couple who exemplifies the legacy and values of George & Dorothy Walton.
SELFLESSNESS | HOSPITALITY | COURAGE | DEVOTION
TIMELINE
OCT
NOMINATIONS
Nominations are accepted from October 1st – October 31st each year. Follow our social media pages where we will share important information throughout the Walton Award season.
October 31st is the nomination deadline.
NOV
COMMITTEE SELECTION
In Nov/Dec., the Walton Award Committee will review and evaluate the nominations and select a recipient.
JAN
Recipient Announcement
The Walton Award Committee will announce the recipient. We will also share information about the community impact and service of the couple selected.
FEB
AWARD PRESENTATION
In February each year, we will recognize the recipients and present a monetary donation to the charity of the honorees’ choice.
Walton Award Recipients
2022
Drs. Alice & John David. Doctors Alice and John David were nominated for the 2022 Walton Award by James K. Stiff, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA because he had witnessed firsthand their tireless community and global stewardship and devotion to serving others. “In both word and deed, the Davids exemplify grace, character, passion, and selflessness. Alice and John are humble leaders who motivate and inspire those around them and use their personal and professional skills, talents, and resources to benefit the community as a whole – not only in the CSRA but worldwide. As first-generation immigrants to the United States, they value and embrace citizenship on a local, national and global scale, reaching out to people in need wherever they may be.” – James K. Stiff, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA
Drs. Alice & John David. Doctors Alice and John David were nominated for the 2022 Walton Award by James K. Stiff, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA because he had witnessed firsthand their tireless community and global stewardship and devotion to serving others. “In both word and deed, the Davids exemplify grace, character, passion, and selflessness. Alice and John are humble leaders who motivate and inspire those around them and use their personal and professional skills, talents, and resources to benefit the community as a whole – not only in the CSRA but worldwide. As first-generation immigrants to the United States, they value and embrace citizenship on a local, national and global scale, reaching out to people in need wherever they may be.” – James K. Stiff, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA


2021
Phin and Jan Hitchcock are the very embodiment of community service, helping throughout the CSRA without hesitation. They work with juvenile offenders, teens, adults in recovery, GED students, and improvement to developing neighborhoods and disadvantaged youth through education.
Together, they founded Fireside Ministries — a local, faith-based, non-profit organization that exists to restore people and places, and has an intentional mission to aid at-risk families in the neighborhood of Harrisburg in Augusta, Georgia through means of prevention and intervention. They seek to stabilize and strengthen the family, and as a result, stabilize and strengthen the community.
Phil & Marsha Jones were nominated for the 2021 Walton Award by community member Shep Gallagher who knew the Joneses from time together at Trinity on the Hill UMC. Since then, the Jones have served with St. Luke’s UMC in the Harrisburg neighborhood of Augusta, GA for the past 13 years. The Jones not only work with the church, but they also work with seemingly every other organization within the Harrisburg community to help the neighbors find homes, work, education, food and safety. Whenever they see a need, they try to find a way to help. Their dedication and creative solutions are truly making a difference in the Harrisburg neighborhood.
2020
RECIPIENTS: Walt & Sue Alexanderson
DONATION GIVEN TO:
■ Variety of Local CSRA Charities
■ Action Ministries
The Alexandersons were nominated by Anne Catherine Murray with the Augusta Symphony for their dedication and service as long-time board members and volunteers with Friends of the Augusta Symphony.
This couple has not only impacted the lives of those they serve, they have set a perfect example of servant leadership for the volunteers they recruit and the people they lead. Their work ethic and joyous but silent donation of thousands of hours of time to this community is exemplary.
Although humble, quiet, unassuming, and uninterested in recognition, they are both, separately and together, a powerful and consistent presence of generosity, grace, and light in our world.


2019
Phin and Jan Hitchcock are the very embodiment of community service, helping throughout the CSRA without hesitation. They work with juvenile offenders, teens, adults in recovery, GED students, and improvement to developing neighborhoods and disadvantaged youth through education.
Together, they founded Fireside Ministries — a local, faith-based, non-profit organization that exists to restore people and places, and has an intentional mission to aid at-risk families in the neighborhood of Harrisburg in Augusta, Georgia through means of prevention and intervention. They seek to stabilize and strengthen the family, and as a result, stabilize and strengthen the community.
Phin and Jan Hitchcock are the very embodiment of community service, helping throughout the CSRA without hesitation. They work with juvenile offenders, teens, adults in recovery, GED students, and improvement to developing neighborhoods and disadvantaged youth through education.
Together, they founded Fireside Ministries — a local, faith-based, non-profit organization that exists to restore people and places, and has an intentional mission to aid at-risk families in the neighborhood of Harrisburg in Augusta, Georgia through means of prevention and intervention. They seek to stabilize and strengthen the family, and as a result, stabilize and strengthen the community.
2018
RECIPIENTS: Ellis & Ann Johnson
DONATION GIVEN TO:
■ The Jessye Norman School of the Arts
■ Elim Baptist Church
Ellis and Ann Johnson had families who instilled in them the importance of using their talents to benefit others, and throughout their lives, they volunteered their time and talents to benefit the arts and children in Augusta. Together, they championed causes important to them. Whether it was a concert at Paine College, a fundraiser at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts or a gathering with the Greater Augusta Arts Council, organizers knew they could count on the Johnsons.
Ellis and Ann Johnson had families who instilled in them the importance of using their talents to benefit others, and throughout their lives, they volunteered their time and talents to benefit the arts and children in Augusta. Together, they championed causes important to them. Whether it was a concert at Paine College, a fundraiser at the Jessye Norman School of the Arts or a gathering with the Greater Augusta Arts Council, organizers knew they could count on the Johnsons.


2017
RECIPIENTS: Steve & Linda Cutcliffe
DONATION GIVEN TO:
■ Mosaic UMC’s Community Center
■ Action Ministries
Steve and Linda Cutcliffe are not your typical community award winners. That is precisely what makes them ideal recipients of the inaugural George & Dorothy Walton Award, a recognition honoring local couples who have made subtle but substantial impacts on community service in the Augusta area.
The Evans couple, who have been heavily involved in charitable work in downtown Augusta for more than a decade through their church, Mosaic United Methodist Church, and Action Ministries, a local nonprofit, were presented the award on a Thursday evening in February 2017.
Steve and Linda Cutcliffe are not your typical community award winners. That is precisely what makes them ideal recipients of the inaugural George & Dorothy Walton Award, a recognition honoring local couples who have made subtle but substantial impacts on community service in the Augusta area.
The Evans couple, who have been heavily involved in charitable work in downtown Augusta for more than a decade through their church, Mosaic United Methodist Church, and Action Ministries, a local nonprofit, were presented the award on a Thursday evening in February 2017.
Important points
Nominee Requirements
- The candidates must be a living, married couple (or at least one surviving spouse).
- Both husband and wife must have a record of community service — not necessarily with the same organization.
- The couple (or surviving spouse) must reside in Richmond, Columbia, Burke, McDuffie, or Aiken counties.
- The couple’s community service must benefit more than one CSRA organization or cause.
Nomination Instructions
(During the month of October)
Complete and submit this Nomination Form.
- Paper submissions are accepted and blank nomination forms may be requested by emailing [email protected].
- The nominator must be familiar with the nominees’ service. If the nominees are selected to receive the award, they may receive a copy of the nomination application.
IMPORTANT: Include supplements by emailing [email protected] after submitting this form. (not required, but strongly encouraged):
- Letters of endorsement from individuals who are familiar with the couple and their service
- Photos, news clippings or video that illustrate the couples’ community service
Submission Deadline | October 31st
Submit the completed nomination application by October 31st
- online using this form (preferred)
- via Email to [email protected] (email to request PDF fillable form)
- via Postal Mail (email to request a paper form)
- Walton Award Committee, C/O AP Wealth Management, LLC, 1100 Frazier Drive, Augusta, GA 30909
Tips for Completing the Nomination Form
- The form should be completed in ONE sitting. If you navigate away from the form before finishing, your work will be lost.
- You may make changes to the form after it is submitted until October 31st. (Save the link provided upon completion for editing purposes, if needed).
- REMEMBER: The more information you submit, the more easily the committee can make a decision. Submit supplemental info (articles, letters of recommendation, video, news clippings, photos, etc.) to help tell the couple’s story of community service.
- You may nominate a couple of whom one spouse is deceased.
- Email: [email protected] if you have any questions about the form or the award.
