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March
30, 2012...
Halifax River Audubon members honored the ongoing contributions
of long-time member, Willie Burns, at a bench dedication
ceremony at Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange on Friday
afternoon, March 30.
Willie
set up Golden Dog Sales, named for his beloved Golden Retriever
Chrissie Dog, in 1999 to sell nature guides, environmental
books, eco-friendly coffee, tote bags and tee shirts. Over the
past 13 years, Golden Dog Sales has donated over $15,000 to
Halifax River Audubon, enabling the chapter to carry out many
community-based educational projects and partner with local
State and National Parks to assist with public access to those
facilities.
Volunteers at
Sugar Mill Gardens installed the honorary benches in a spot
where visitors can stop to watch migrating songbirds or
butterflies in the gardens.
A native of
upstate New York, Willie came to Daytona Beach in 1987 following
his retirement from a career as a journeyman iron worker in
Local 417 in Newburgh, NY. He was also instrumental in setting
up and running Volunteer Income Tax Assistance at the Dickerson
Center in partnership with the IRS.
Photos by
Chuck Tague. |