Lisa Crowder and Karen Stone are the Signal Mountain Community Guild’s 2017 Women of the Year.
“We received an extraordinary group of nominated ladies whose dedication and passion have made a difference in our community,” said Woman of the Year selection committee member Rocio Kemp, before explaining to Dogwood Luncheon attendees that she would be announcing not one but two recipients this year.
The guild has bestowed the honor on two women on several occasions – most recently in 2011 and 2012 – since the award was first given in 1969.
Crowder’s many contributions to the community include serving as a member of the board of the Founders’ Fund supporting the development of Signal Mountain Middle/High School. She also promoted the school’s International Baccalaureate program by establishing an IB booster club, said Kemp.
Crowder has also played a role in numerous fundraisers benefiting the community, including fundraisers for her church, the Thrasher Elementary PTA and the Mountain Education Foundation. Her volunteer efforts include working a hotline for victims of domestic violence, as well as developing and supporting a program for African refugees, Kemp said.
Kemp said Stone, the second recipient, has dedicated her life to preserving the history of Walden’s Ridge.
She was instrumental in developing Martha McCoy’s property into McCoy Farm and Gardens, including fundraising as well as physical efforts to refurbish the property. For two decades, she has served as the historian for the Little Brown Church, and has interviewed many of the mountain’s older residents and written their biographies so that they can one day be shared with their children’s children.