Marilyn Darrell inducted as President of Statesboro Kiwanis Club

The Statesboro Kiwanis Club introduced their 2024-2025 Board of Directors during their meeting on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Marilyn Darrell was named the new President, with Kasey Hagan stepping into the role of President-Elect and Crystal Simpkins as Vice President.

Bede Mitchell will serve as Secretary, and Matt Anderson, the outgoing President, will now hold the position of Immediate Past-President. New board members include Bobby Turner, Sam Gaston, Jeremy Wilburn, and Warren Gruber, while Stan Akins, Diane Ellis, Tom McKeithen, Pat Jones, and Gwen Yarbrough will continue serving.

Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer Chris Wiggins also recognized outgoing board members Jill Boykin and Dan Hagan for their contributions. In her remarks, President Darrell expressed her commitment to leading alongside the members, emphasizing that the strength of the club lies in everyone’s involvement.

Nikki Henderson with the Cub Scout Pack 935 and Robert LeFond with Boy Scout Troop 337 received a $400 check to support their troops replacing and fixing their equipment.

Shaquila Foreman was given a $1,000 check for Bulloch County's REACH program (Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen). It's a scholarship program for high-achieving, low-income students, starting in 8th grade and continuing through high school. To remain eligible, students must maintain good grades, behavior, and attendance, and meet with a mentor and academic coach regularly. If they meet the requirements, they receive a $10,000 scholarship upon graduation. Foreman highlighted how the funds are used to take students on college tours around Georgia, helping them explore post-secondary opportunities. She expressed excitement about the program's eighth group of students and noted that their first group will graduate college in 2025.

The law enforcement committee granted $1,500 to the Georgia Southern Campus Police Department. Interim Georgia Southern Police Chief Trey Drawdy accepted on Southern's behalf. "And having been with the department for the last four weeks, I have been highly impressed with the level of service that's provided by our officers, particularly in the areas of fire and life safety and crime prevention programming," said Chief Drawdy. "...what we're going to do is utilize these funds to further promote the services that they provide to our students, not only in Statesboro but in Savannah as well."

Lieutenant Governor Chris Wiggins spoke about the 2024-2025 officers, but began with a shoutout to Jill Boykin and Dan Hagan for their outgoing service to the board.

2024-2025 Kiwanis Board of Directors

Kiwanis Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer Chris Wiggins
President Marilyn Darrell
President Elect Kasey Hagan
Vice President Crystal Simpkins
Secretary Bede Mitchell
Immediate Past-President Matt Anderson

New board members:

Bobby Turner
Sam Gaston
Jeremy Wilburn
Warren Gruber

Continuing members:

Stan Aikins
Diane Ellis
Tom Mckeithen
Pat Jones
Gwen Yarbrough

Outgoing president Matt Anderson said, "I want to thank everybody here for the opportunity to lead such a wonderful, great civic organization. You all should be very proud of being in this club. I am proud as a Kiwanian, and I'm thankful for all of you. The opportunity has been my honor to serve you as your president of 2024 and I really have enjoyed it. Thank you."

Incoming president Marilyn Darrell added, "...I can assure you, I will be holding all of your hands also this next year. So count on that, because the strength of this club depends on each and every one of you, not just your president, not just your directors."

Below is a list of organizations Kiwanis of Statesboro donated to in 2023-2024.