August 8, 2024 – The City of Decatur and National Night Out Committee recognized the 2024 Johnson & Mears Community Service Award Winners at the National Night Out event this week. Recognized were Sue Lawson and Jack and Joyce Keller.
“The award winners outstanding community volunteers and advocates for both their neighborhoods and the community overall,” the city said in a release. Some details about the award winners:
Sue Lawson is the former president of GM Square neighborhood and former president of the Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations. She is also a member of Beautify Decatur Coalition and created the Inside Out project, where residents were able to have one room remodeled with the help of her interior decorating business. The project included neighborhood youth who learned painting and carpeting skills.
Jack & Joyce Keller are great advocates for the Old King’s Orchard neighborhood. They are founders of the Little Red Wagon Club and the Jesse White Tumblers. They have also served as board members of the Northeast Community Fund, City of Decatur Human Relations Commission, and are Cease Fire advocates.
In 2023, the National Night Out Committee created the Johnson & Mears Community Service Award in honor of Francie Johnson, a Fansfield Neighborhood member and executive member of CONO, who cochaired the National Night Out event for many years, and Helen Jeanne Mears, a Park City Neighborhood volunteer and National Night Out Steering Committee member, and she served on the Executive Committee of CONO.
