Charleston, Miss. Volunteer Cal Trout Named Man of Year

Consummate volunteer Cal Trout of Charleston, Miss., is the Dan Maddox Man of the Year.
“Whether it’s money to be raised, committees to be formed, or events to be coordinated, Cal is always ready and willing to step up,” said Tom Pittman, President of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi. “He led the effort to raise funds for a new endowment for his community.”
Trout, a board member of the Charleston Arts & Revitalization Effort,  developed the Wellness Challenge, encouraging about 13 percent of the Charleston’s population to sign up for this fitness initiative.
Under Trout’s leadership, The Delta Festival, which he chaired in 2012, now boasts the first multi-racial community choir, the Gateway Gospel Choir. When he isn’t volunteering in the community, Trout owns and operates Trout Valley Farm and Trout Valley Quail Preserve in Charleston.
Besides his successful green businesses, Trout’s top priority is education. He will serve as the Delta Arts Alliance’s 2014 Writer in Residence at the Charleston Elementary School. He also helped secure funding for the Parchman prison writing program, the first of its kind in the Mississippi State Penitentiary System.

“Cal Trout is an outstanding young leader who has made a real difference in Charleston and the region,” said Ed. Meek, Publisher of HottToddy.com who worked with Trout at Ole Miss and as a member of Meek’s publishing group. “Carl is a proud journalism graduate of Ole Miss and he has been active in many roles, but one of the most important was his serving as Vice President of the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort (CARE).  In this capacity, he launched the highly successful Gateway To The Delta Festival, which brings thousands to Charleston each Fall for fun, food and music. He is a really great young man.”
The award is named after Dan Maddox who began his career in the credit and finance industry. He was later active in oil and gas exploration and production and became a successful real estate developer.
“I was caught totally off guard but I’m extremely appreciative to all the groups whose teamwork and mission made this award possible,” Trout said.
The Charleston native said the values he brings to his nature preserve and farm — stewardship of the land and environment  — are the same values he brings to his community work. “We believe we’re responsible for the community we live in and part of that responsibility is supporting fitness and the arts,” he said.
Trout thanked Vox Press, the Sonebna Literary Foundation and the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort for helping to bring that sense of service to the community.
Peggy Linton, of DeSoto County, is The Margaret Maddox Woman of the Year. Linton’s love of grant writing and assisting non-profits began as she served as a 4-H club leader in Pleasant Hill.
Seeing the struggle of many new and existing non-profits, Linton offered her service to research, write and, in some cases, manage grants as well as serving on several non-profit boards. Linton wrote the first grant which assisted in establishing the DeSoto Health & Wellness Center and served as president of the board for three years. In her spare time she has also assisted the House of Grace, Young Ladies Today Making A Difference for Tomorrow, DeSoto Arts Council, DeSoto County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Olive Branch Arts Council.