All photos and text in 2025 Hometown Heroes were submitted by readers of the Statesboro Herald and edited by our staff for brevity and clarity.
Photos were resized and cropped for format purposes.
The Hometown Heroes special section was published in the May 22, 2025 print edition of the Statesboro Herald.
The Herald will post the Heroes submitted for this year in groups of four.
Allissa Baxter
Miss Alli is one of the youngest, strongest-willed, driven and fair individuals I know. She carries so much weight on her shoulders, yet takes everyone into consideration in making decisions at her level of chief human resource officer for Bulloch County Schools. She also teaches at the college level and helps so many students in their future careers.
She is head strong, soft hearted and committed. Not to get too personal, but with having medical issues half her life that should keep her down or away from her daily activities, her teaching and her trainings, she strives to do the best for others. She is my hero for all she endures to keep herself going while helping others along the way.
Logan Kennedy
He was in the Marine Corps and had to take a leave. He is a great veteran and friend.
Teri N. McElveen
Teri was my mother. She passed away this past December. Hero nominations may typically be for the living, however, I wanted to nominate her anyway. She was a resident of Bulloch County when she passed. She worked in special education for 20 years. She worked in Effingham County as a paraprofessional for 14 years before becoming a teacher. She then worked as a special education teacher since 2018 for Claxton High School.
Her funeral was attended by nearly 300 people. A large portion of those who attended were students and their families whose lives she touched. It takes a very special person to work in special education and an even more special person to make such a difference in children’s lives. Therefore, I would like to nominate my mother, Teri N McElveen, as a hometown hero.
Ben Lienhard
A captain with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Ben is such a caring person and a wonderful family man and serves his community like a champion. We love Ben.