During their May meeting the Third Arrow Chapter, Mississippi Society, Daughters of the American Revolution recognized Liz Wilson of Carrollton with the Excellence in Community Service Award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Liz Wilson was recommended by Bo Milton, Headmaster of Carroll Academy and by Graycen Wiltshire, President of Carroll Academy’s Student Council.
In 2009 Liz Wilson began organizing the Carroll Academy Student Council Association. During the 2010-2011 school term under her leadership, Carroll Academy’s Student Council took off and began holding community service events each month. In 2010 fundraisers were held for Mississippi’s Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital, and they donated to the Wounded Warrior Campaign, held fundraisers for the National Heart Association and raised over $2,000 for a family whose child needed a heart transplant. The Student Council donated to the local food mission in the community and began holding Carroll County’s Veterans Day Ceremony and a Memorial Day program.
During the 2011-2012 school term, the Student Council was sponsored by the Third Arrow Chapter, MSSDAR as the Douglas Carroll Junior American Citizens and held even more community service events. The JAC’s held a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Courthouse, participated as hosts and hostesses during the Carrollton Fall Pilgrimage, continued donating to the local food mission presenting them with a $400 check, donated to the Wounded Warrior Campaign, held the county’s Veterans Day Program, donated over $2,000 to the Blair E. Batson’s Children’s Hospital, and supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s fundraiser to help send a child with MD to a special summer camp. The Carroll Academy JAC’s also donated Easter gift bags to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital and held the county’s Memorial Day Program at the courthouse. They started an annual event by visiting the State Veteran’s Home in Kosciusko where they served refreshments, handed out American flags and flag lapel pins to each veteran.
During the 2012-2018 school terms the JAC’s continued the same fund raisers and supported the local food mission, Wounded Warriors, the Easter campaign to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital , MDA for Summer Camp campaign, the town’s Fall Pilgrims, the 9/11 Remembrance ceremony, Veteran’s Day , Memorial Day and the 4th of July programs for the county while joining the veterans at our state veteran’s home in Kosciusko. In 2014 under the leadership of Liz Wilson, she assisted the students in organizing a secret fundraiser to surprise the school’s Janitor with a vehicle. She also organized a fundraiser to help a local family that had a family member with multiple sclerosis in order for them to complete their goal to get stem cell research done. When they visited the Blair E. Batson’s Children’s Hospital, the JAC’s added a life size Easter bunny and played games with the children and added a Santa Claus to hand out presents, complete with Elves giving each child a stocking filled with toys. In 2018 they donated $500 to the Tamassee DAR School to help with their medical needs. They invited the Carroll Academy Art class to create hand drawn Christmas Cards along with gathering over 200 clothing items for the Wounded Warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for the wounded soldiers hospitalized there.
For all of their local, state and national community service since 2012 the Carroll Academy JAC’s have won 1st place in the state , 1st place in the Southeastern Division of the DAR and have received three 2nd place and three 1st place awards in the nation from the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution for Community Service.
Liz Wilson was awarded the Junior American Citizen Thatcher Award by the NSDAR for having demonstrated distinctive qualities of dependability and leadership and for promoting the principles of good citizenship, its privileges and responsibilities, loyalty to the United States of America, respect for its flag, the history of our great country and of our government. Liz’s service and dedication to the activities by the JAC’s committee was acknowledged by the designated officials of the NSDAR. She has served as the MSSDAR Junior American Citizens Committee State Chair. She has been selected four times as the Star Teacher at Carroll Academy since 2012 and was nominated by the administration for Outstanding State Teacher in 2013. She has been chosen as the Teacher of the Year at Carroll Academy twice. She always puts service and stewardship above all else and her one goal has been to instill in our youth the vision of service to others, giving back and community service. She currently teaches 11th and 12th grade English at Carroll Academy.
The Third Arrow Chapter members are very proud of the work that Liz does in the community and congratulate her for deserving this honor.
