Belva Gilbert was named the 2009 Walker County Citizen of the Year by the Walker County Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the 27th annual Walker County Gala at The Chattanoogan.

A crowd of more than 175 guests applauded as Chamber board chairman Chip Catlett made the announcement and read a brief biography of Gilbert’s accomplishments.

Gilbert is a retired educator who taught school for more than 26 years. She spent 21 years in the Walker County school system, primarily with the gifted program and most recently as a kindergarten teacher.

During retirement she continues to teach in such capacities as with the Kids for Christ organization, where she volunteers as a tutor.

The Walker Retired Educators Association is honored to have her as a past-president and current member. In this capacity she helps to provide much-needed information and support to the group’s members throughout the county by keeping them up to date with cur-rent topics of interest such as health-care reform and state retirement plans.

As an active member of the LaFayette Women’s Club she was the top producer in last year’s pecan sale, where she helped to raise funds for the club’s civic and charitable activi-ties. Annually in this capacity she also helps to bag groceries for the LaFayette Empty Stock-ing Fund, which helps hundreds of families to have meals during the holidays.

She has been appointed by the LaFayette mayor and City Council to the serve on the La-Fayette historic preservation committee, Chattooga Academy advisory board and the La-Fayette Library advisory board to the Cherokee Regional Library.

As a very active member of LaFayette First Baptist Church she is the leader of the Women on Missions–Mary Christian II group. Her work with this group helps to provide support to needy families in the area with Angel Food purchases each month, clothes and food at Christmas, and donations to the Crisis Center for victims of family violence.

Gilbert is also the past-president and current president-elect of the Beta Sigma Phi Ser-vice Sorority and a member of the Hutcheson Health Foundation ball committee.

She has assisted the Chamber in the past with such projects as the Womanless Wedding and most recently as a volunteer at the Balloons and Tunes Festival.

Along with her numerous community services she is a devoted wife, mother, grand-mother and friend.

The Citizen of the Year award is sponsored by the Walker County Chamber of Commerce and is presented every year at the annual Walker County Gala.