Darron Burnette, a 1988 Georgia Southern University graduate, has always been interested in helping fulfill people’s dreams.
    “I’ve always enjoyed helping people, whether it was buying a house or starting a business,” said the president and CEO of Sea Island Bank, who began his banking career at the age of 16.
    This year, Burnette’s focus is helping Georgia Southern University achieve its fundraising goals to support current and future academic and athletic needs with the 39th annual A Day for Southern campaign. Serving as community chairman, Burnette is no stranger to fundraising, having been actively involved in the campaign since he moved to Statesboro 18 years ago. He realizes Georgia Southern’s impact on the community and is encouraging Statesboro and Bulloch County to donate generously.
    “As a banker, I have realized the economic impact of A Day for Southern,” he said, “but we also need to thank the students. We are training them to be active citizens, and the more active citizens we have, the better the quality of life for our residents. It’s overwhelming how many students at the university will help when it is needed. We have students providing support to our community through after-school tutoring and athletic programs, working at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and Relay for Life and building houses for Habitat for Humanity.”
    In fact, Burnette credits the university with launching his own involvement in community service as an undergraduate.
    “Georgia Southern helped me understand the value of being active in the community, and started me on a personal path of service,” he said.
    Burnette’s service includes leadership positions with the Ogeechee Tech Foundation Board, Statesboro Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Optimist Club, Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity and Coastal Georgia Alzheimer’s Association. Burnette is also an active member of the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, and for the past several years he and his peers at Sea Island Bank have lent their support to the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Learning by assisting individuals with the development of business plans, and also talking to first-year classes about budgeting and finances.
    Burnette is the recipient of the William B. Turner Humanitarian Award from Synovus Financial Corp. and the Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Award. He also was recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association at its national convention for his leadership of the Statesboro Memory Walk.
    “When you think of people who exemplify the partnership between Georgia Southern and the community, Darron Burnette is at the top of the list.  He is an alumnus, an engaged citizen and a business leader.  He has seen the partnership from all angles, making him the perfect person to lead A Day for Southern,” said Alex Grovenstein, the university’s director of annual giving.
    Since 1998, A Day for Southern has raised more than $1 million annually and is a joint effort between the Georgia Southern University Foundation and the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation. The first campaign raised more than $60,000 and, in 2011, the community donated a record $1.4 million to the campaign. Funds raised through A Day for Southern support scholarships, faculty development, championship athletics and the cultural programs that enrich the region such as the museum, the wildlife center, the Garden of the Coastal Plain (formerly the Botanical Garden), the Performing Arts Center, the symphony and other continuing education programs.
    This year, faculty, staff and students once again donated to the university during the on-campus phase of the campaign. In previous years, many campus departments had 100 percent participation, a testament to their commitment to the continued growth and mission of Georgia Southern.
    “When the university thrives, Statesboro thrives,” Burnette explained. “Georgia Southern’s growth has contributed to new construction, new businesses and new opportunities in our community, and most of us are connected in some way to the university. Our students are leaving a legacy, and we need to consider how we, as members of this community, can partner in this student development with our support of A Day for Southern.”