Three people who have dedicated a lifetime to making others’ lives better received honors Tuesday night during the 25th Annual Deen Day Service to Mankind Awards affair, held in the ballroom of Georgia Southern University’s Nessmith-Lane Conference Center.
The awards banquet honors a number of compassionate citizens each year, but gives special recognition to people over 60 who have spent a great part of their own lives helping others.
Bruce Yawn, who was honored in 2001 as the Statesboro Herald Humanitarian of the Year, introduced the two men and one woman honored during the 2015 invitation-only celebration.
Mike Kennedy
“A man of great character, one of our Lifetime Achievement Award winners has a long history of working with his church, local education and community projects,” Yawn said. “He is a longtime member of Statesboro First Presbyterian church, is past treasurer, past chairman of the board of deacons, and is currently an elected elder. He has served as chair of the administration committee, as well as a member of the Habitat for Humanity House funding, financial planning and mission committees.”
Kennedy “takes time out of a busy day to visit the ill in hospitals and the shut-ins at home or in retirement homes, bringing cheer into their lives and bringing treats or needed items,” he said.
Listing Kennedy’s accolades, Yawn told the audience Kennedy has been “a volunteer with ‘Feeding Statesboro,” a local effort to assist with those needing food assistance; he helps distribute food at Rebecca’s Café adjacent to the Statesboro Food Bank, serving meals and offering fellowship to the people who stop by to enjoy a good hot meal.”
Kennedy is past president and current member of Homebound Services, offering further assistance to those confined to their homes, providing needs and spreading goodwill. He is also a long-time member of the Statesboro Rotary Club, with perfect attendance for over 45 years and serves on the club’s history committee as chairman.
He is also a GSU Booster member, a GSU Foundation board member, and now a member emeritus. “He has also been a faithful supporter of the GSU Symphony, serving on the advisory board, as well as the music department as a whole and the University’s athletic programs,” Yawn said. “He provided the university’s botanical gardens with an outdoor classroom, named for his father, where students can enjoy learning outside in nature.”
Kennedy served on the GSU Foundation Board of Trustees, as chair of the Special Gifts, audit, membership and several other committees He is also a past member of numerous GSU boards and clubs including the 1906 Society and the Eagle Club.
Kennedy is a longtime supporter of the Statesboro Regional Library; has served as a board of directors member for Forest Heights Country Club and is involved in activities and services through the Helping Hands Clinic, which provides health services to those who don’t have insurance or ability to pay extreme medical expenses. He also helps the local domestic violence shelter, offering time and financial assistance to provide needs for women and children seeking haven from danger.
He is a member of United Way, Statesboro Homebuilders Association, Scottish Heritage Society, Bulloch County Historical Society and the Bulloch County Wildlife Club, as well as a regular donor to a multitude of charities, including the American Lung Association, Ogeechee Area Hospice, American Red Cross, Safe Haven and many more organizations.
Anita Masters
Anita Masters, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, “has always spent a great deal of her time and effort making life more comfortable for others,” Yawn said. “Ever since her family moved to Bulloch County in the 1960’s, this loving lady has placed the needs of the less fortunate foremost on her agenda. She worked in the office of a local school for several years, spending her spare time involved in church activities and other community projects. Upon her retirement, she dedicated even more time and effort to making a difference in the lives of others.”
Masters “was a Sunday School teacher at Statesboro’s First Baptist Church, where she was also a member of the Senior Choir and served on the Women’s Mission as an officer. Through the church family, she volunteered at Worn Threads, a thrift shop that helps provide clothes and funds for those in need.
Masters is always taking time to drive others to doctor’s appointments, church services, to the grocery store and even to the beauty parlor. “These trips not only help others go on with daily lives but brings fellowship and fun as this lady shares her delightful smiles,” he said.
Masters “has been known to visit the ill and those confined to their homes or hospitals, making sure they do not need or want for anything. She may take them food, church literature or anything else to brighten their days.”
She also helps Caring Threads, a church-related project group, to provide for less fortunate by making small pillows for children in the hospital, caps for premature babies and “chemo caps” for cancer patients who lost hair due to chemotherapy. “She crochets scarves and hats for mission projects, helps with stuffing backpacks for less fortunate children locally and in Appalachia, and helps provide baby items for the Second Chances program,” he said.
“In a move that helps in two ways, she has been known to take unfinished craft items to retirement homes, where residents become involved by stuffing pillows or Christmas stockings to be distributed to children in hospitals.”
James “Jimmy” High
“Some folks make a lifetime project of helping the less fortunate, and one of our Lifetime Achievement Award recipients does just that,” Yawn said, introducing James “Jimmy” High.
“As a member of Statesboro First United Methodist Church, he has long been a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program that provides hot, healthy meals to the elderly, disabled or shut-ins. He also makes similar efforts through other church programs such as the weekly soup kitchen, helping fill food needs for those with empty pantries,” he said.
High is an active Sunday school member and serves as a lay liturgist, assisting with church services. He also served as chairman of the Council of Ministries and as a trustee in the church. As a longtime member of the Gideons, he helps distribute Bibles and speaks at area churches, having done so for over 20 years, he said.
“A Statesboro Rotary Club member, this man is a past president of the club, and led the group during a time when women were first invited to join. He focuses on bettering the community, and has been a supporter of the Boys and Girls’ Club golf tournament, which raises funds for programs for area youth,” he said. “Friends describe this man as having ‘impeccable character,’ a man who works behind the scenes anonymously and, when he sees a need, fills it through service and financial contributions.”
High was one of the first people to get involved in supporting the Hudson Powell Scholarship Fund for students in need who are pursuing a degree in orthodontics. “A part-time professor at Georgia Regents University, teaching orthodontics, Jimmy High is known for his dedication to making sure dental services are available for people with no insurance and no funds. He is retired, but spends time weekly offering dental services through the local Helping Hands Clinic as well as clinics in other cities.”
Jimmy also has worked extensively to help secure equipment for the Helping Hands Clinic, and in recruiting other people to help with the much needed services in the area, he said.
Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.