Samford University will hold the first-ever Samford Medallion Awards on Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. as part of the celebration leading up to the inauguration of President Beck A. Taylor. The Medallion Award recognizes persons and organizations whose good works have made a difference in society, in community affairs, in the life of the church and in the quality of life for individuals in Alabama.
The inaugural Medallion Award recipients are Tony Cooper of Birmingham; Frances Ford of Marion; and Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, which will be represented by Mark Wakefield, disaster relief strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
- Cooper retired in 2019 after 29 years of service as executive director of the Jimmie Hale Mission, a Christian-based nonprofit organization in Central Alabama, which includes a homeless shelter for men, a shelter for women and children, recovery programs and three learning centers.
- Ford is executive director of Sowing Seeds of Hope, a faith-based community development organization devoted to serving and supporting people in Perry County and across the Black Belt region. Sowing Seeds of Hope helps through home repair and housing solutions, health care assistance, spiritual renewal opportunities, education resources and more.
- Wakefield is a state missionary who has served with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions since February 2013. He is the lead strategist for Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, which coordinates hundreds of volunteers to provide food, water, child care, showers, laundry and assistance with tree and debris removal, roof tarping and flood recovery to those affected by disasters.
The Samford Medallion Awards ceremony is free and open to the public. The event will take place in the Jane Hollock Brock Recital Hall at Samford University.
Click here to learn more about events at Samford leading up to Taylor’s inauguration.
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