Claxton resident Britnee Kinard received the prestigious Lincoln Caregiver Award last month in an exclusive award dinner ceremony, followed by a concert, at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.An initiative by the Friars Club through its foundation, the Lincoln Awards recognizes outstanding achievement and excellence in providing opportunities and support to veterans and military families. Presented for the first time ever, the Lincoln Awards are named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, specifically referencing his second inaugural address to the nation that includes, in part, these words: “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” Kinard has worked tirelessly as a caregiver for her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Douglas Hamilton Kinard Jr., and advocated for him and other veterans, following her husband’s injuries sustained March 15, 2005, from an improvised explosive device while deployed to Iraq.