The Trustees of the Academy of Richmond County, on behalf of the Porter Fleming Foundation, are pleased to honor the 2020 Porter Fleming Foundation Community Award recipients during a luncheon on Wednesday, March 18 at 12 p.m., in the Solarium of the Old Medical College of Georgia. The recipients are as follows:
 
Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, Inc.

Authors Club of Augusta

Columbia County Coral Society

Jonathan Cook

Edgefield County Historical Society

Cheryl Goldsleger

Barbara Lewis

Don Rhodes

Jaqueline Mayo Van Dyke

Westobou Festival
 
Augusta resident Berry Fleming, who served as a member of the Trustees, created the Porter Fleming Foundation in 1963. A noted author and artist, Mr. Fleming created the Foundation to honor his father, Porter Fleming. Consistent with Berry Fleming’s life interests, the Foundation directs the Trustees to “contribute annually to the educational, literary, artistic, scientific, historical, musical, and cultural enrichment of the lives of the residents of the City of Augusta, and the geographical area immediately adjacent thereto” by the provision of financial grants and fellowships. In addition, the Foundation empowers the Trustees to “undertake any project calculated to further the purpose” of the Foundation.
 
From 1963-2005, the Foundation focused on providing financial grants and fellowships to organizations and individuals who had demonstrated excellence in the fields of education, literature, art, science, history, music, and culture, in addition to growing the corpus of the Foundation’s trust. In 2005, the Foundation received a sizeable bequest from the Estate of Shirley Fleming, Berry’s daughter. After receipt of this bequest, the Trustees resolved to create an independent project celebrating excellence in the arts, while at the same time continuing to provide financial grants and fellowships. Thus, the Augusta Westobou Festival was born.
 
Trustees of the Academy of Richmond County include: William J. Badger, George B. Barrett, Thomas M. Blanchard, Jr., A. Bleakley Chandler, Jr., M.D., Paul H. Dunbar III, W. Tennent Houston, Cobbs G. Nixon, Patrick H. Perry, Thomas H. Robertson, and Leroy H. Simkins, Jr.