“Mr. (Leon) Gatewood [pictured above] has given of himself unselfishly, especially to unserved people,” said Alex Gaddy, HOLLA! ‘s Program Director. “Mr. Gatewood has a passion for our children. He understands that children are our future.” Submitted photo

“Mr. (Leon) Gatewood [pictured above] has given of himself unselfishly, especially to unserved people,” said Alex Gaddy, HOLLA! ‘s Program Director. “Mr. Gatewood has a passion for our children. He understands that children are our future.”

Submitted photo

WADESBORO — In November, the Wadesboro Rotary Club honored Leon Gatewood with the Hometown Heroes Award for unwavering dedication to Anson County.

Leon served the citizens of Anson County, ensuring our citizens had a clean, reliable water source and the water filtration system was correctly run for approximately 30 years. That same dedication to the citizens of Anson County led him to his greatest passion.

Well-known in Anson County and nationwide, Gatewood is the founding CEO of Helping Our Loved Ones Learn and Achieve (HOLLA!). The organization was formed in 2005 to address low achievement in the local school system and has since developed into a staple of the community, providing valuable resources and social capital to local students.

“Mr. Gatewood has given of himself unselfishly, especially to unserved people,” said Alex Gaddy, HOLLA! ‘s Program Director. “Mr. Gatewood has a passion for our children. He understands that children are our future.”

“He has exemplified throughout the nation how caring and giving unselfishly can create a brighter future,” continued Gaddy. “Volunteerism is not easy, but Leon has the knack for getting others involved because his passion is contagious.”

“The vision is to sustain HOLLA! and pave the road to grow; that is why Leon Gatewood is a Hometown Hero,” Gaddy said in closing.

Gatewood shared the day he received a wake-up call about the status of our youth and the idea for HOLLA! was founded.

While helping at a Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, Michael McLeod, the high school principal, shared that only about 50% of his students read on grade level. At a second Martin Luther King, Jr celebration that day, Ms. Glenda Manning started with a story about the great Masai tribe in Africa. The elders of this tribe started each day by asking,

“How are the children?” and that traditional greeting still drives their decision-making to acknowledge the value of our children’s well-being.

Leon shared how these messages touched his heart and lit a passion inside him to make a difference for the children in Anson County.

Gatewood is not a stranger to accolades. A 1980 Livingstone College graduate earning a Bachelor of Science in biology, he was inducted into the Livingstone UNCF Hall of Fame in 2018.

Gatewood was honored not only for his dedication to the children but also for his vision and persistence to make lasting change, said Jarvis Woodburn, Wadesboro Rotary Club President.

Rotary International celebrates the individual contributions and selflessness of giving time and talent.

Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves is Rotary’s vision.

The Wadesboro Rotary Club gives approximately $40,000 annually to support community-driven initiatives and work with other nonprofit organizations.

With more than 1.4 million members in 46,000 clubs worldwide, Rotary Club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.

Wadesboro Rotary Club usually meets the second Thursday of the month from noon to 1 p.m. at the Twin Valley Golf Club. The club welcomes guests interested in community service and professional and personal development.

For up-to-date information on meetings, speakers, community service projects, etc., visit the Wadesboro Rotary Club Facebook page.