By Jamie Gardner
The 64th Baxley/Appling County Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday, January 31 at the Baxley Church of God Social Hall. The event featured a number of honors and awards.
The 2012 Citizen of the Year Award went to Merry Burkett. Burkett was nominated by Cristen Floyd (see nomination letter below).
MERRY BURKETT (L) IS SHOWN RECEIVING THE 2012 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM CRISTEN FLOYD AT THE CHAMBER’S ANNUAL MEETING.
Burkett selected as Citizen of the Year at annual meeting
Other awards included the STAR Student/Teacher awards for Appling County High School and Appling Christian Academy. For Appling High School, Taylor Dominy was selected as the STAR Student and she selected Gail Carter as her STAR Teacher. Appling Christian student Kayla Bohannon was selected as STAR Student from her school and she selected Melanie Claxton as her STAR Teacher (see seperate stories).
Former Appling County High School Coach Kathy Warren was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame (see story in next week’s issue).
The Excellence in Agriculture Award was presented to Stevie Smith (see story in next week’s issue).
Incoming Chamber President Janine Hunter awarded Steve Worthington with the Past President’s Award and then introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Van McCall.
Attendees enjoyed a delicious catered meal and also had an opportunity to bid on some great silent auction items.
(Editor’s note: The following is the nomination letter written to the Baxley/Appling County Chamber of Commerce by Cristen Floyd nominating Merry Burkett as the 2012 Citizen of the Year.)
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Merry Burkett for the 2012 Citizen of the Year Award. Merry is an integral part of our community through her volunteer efforts with her church, local service organizations, and youth groups. She moved to Baxley with her husband, Ed, in 1981 and has been enriching the lives of Appling County citizens ever since.
Mrs. Burkett is an active member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Baxley where she dedicates many hours a week to the management of the church. She attends Mass each Sunday and twice during the week and serves as the church treasurer, secretary, and laundress. During Mass, she performs as a lecture and Eucharistic minister. Merry serves as the secretary of Parish Council and is the head of the Worship and Spiritual Life committee. In the past, she has also taught religious education and helped to coordinate Vacation Bible School. Merry is always looking for ways to improve the church through organization and fellowship and she spends time weekly cleaning the kitchen, purchasing supplies, and ironing linens. She visits the sick members of the Parish and takes Holy Communion to those who are unable to attend Mass. She is the go-to person at St. Rose of Lima.
Each and every Appling County Boy Scout for the past 30 years has been supported by Merry Burkett. She began assisting the local
Boy Scouts of America troop in 1981. One of the highest BSA honors of Silver Beaver was awarded to Merry in 2001 and she also received the District Award for Merit in 1998. Merry continues to work with BSA even though her two sons have received their Eagle Scout status and flown the coup. She has held the post of Cub Master, Den Leader, and currently holds the titles of troop and pack record keeper, secretary, and adult leader. Merry volunteers her time at the local, district, and regional levels and helps coordinate day camps, camp outs, and the annual pancake breakfast and popcorn sale.
The 4-H Club of Appling County is extremely active in the community and state and Merry volunteers on a regular basis and currently serves on the 4-H Extension Advisory Leadership Council. She has served as a judge of the annual Pumpkin Carving contest and chaperoned more field trips and 4-H camps than she is able count.
With the Appling County School System, Merry has volunteered a considerable amount of time to the Band Boosters, Technology Student Association (TSA), and to many other events, clubs, and classrooms. Merry served as the treasurer of Band Boosters where she organized all fundraising efforts including the cookie sale, football concession stands, and score card. The band uniforms have to be organized, fitted, ordered, and mended, and Merry held that responsibility for a number of years. She helped to organize and plan Band Camp and trips to Hawaii, Texas, and Orlando. Merry served with the Band Boosters for 10 years and just last year gave up her final responsibilities of treasurer. With the TSA, Merry has chaperoned many field trips to Jekyll and the State Fair in Perry, and in 2010 was a judge for TSA at the State Fair. She again continued with Band Boosters and TSA even after her children graduated. Merry has volunteered to judge the local science fair, help with Special Olympics, and has also helped to facilitate book fairs, and completed countless hours of classroom work with teachers.
Merry was an active member of the Citizens of Georgia Power from 1981 thru 2008 and served as both the treasurer and secretary. She has also worked with the local Girls Scouts and the Blood Mobile.
Merry and Ed have three children whom she has also dedicated her life to. Their eldest son, David, graduated from the Naval Academy and is now a Naval Officer living in San Diego, California with his wife Sarah. Helen, their daughter, graduated Summa Cum Laude in December 2011 from Valdosta State University with a degree in Mass Communications, and their youngest son, Chris, is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Southern University. Merry is a very proud mother and has always encouraged her children to be involved and volunteer in community and church activities.
I am sure there are many other local groups that have been impacted by Merry’s generous heart and overwhelming time commitments. Merry Burkett is a tremendous asset to our community and her daily efforts are irreplaceable. She volunteers because she believes in our community and has a passion for the organizations that she supports. There is no task too small or large for Merry to tackle, and she will not tell you no if you need her help. What an amazing citizen of Appling County! Please thank Merry Burkett for her efforts by awarding her the 2012 Citizen of the Year Award.
Sincerely yours,
Cristen H Floyd
Former Appling County High School Coach Kathy Warren was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame (see story in next week’s issue).
The Excellence in Agriculture Award was presented to Stevie Smith (see story in next week’s issue).
Incoming Chamber President Janine Hunter awarded Steve Worthington with the Past President’s Award and then introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Van McCall.
Attendees enjoyed a delicious catered meal and also had an opportunity to bid on some great silent auction items.
(Editor’s note: The following is the nomination letter written to the Baxley/Appling County Chamber of Commerce by Cristen Floyd nominating Merry Burkett as the 2012 Citizen of the Year.)
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Merry Burkett for the 2012 Citizen of the Year Award. Merry is an integral part of our community through her volunteer efforts with her church, local service organizations, and youth groups. She moved to Baxley with her husband, Ed, in 1981 and has been enriching the lives of Appling County citizens ever since.
Mrs. Burkett is an active member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Baxley where she dedicates many hours a week to the management of the church. She attends Mass each Sunday and twice during the week and serves as the church treasurer, secretary, and laundress. During Mass, she performs as a lecture and Eucharistic minister. Merry serves as the secretary of Parish Council and is the head of the Worship and Spiritual Life committee. In the past, she has also taught religious education and helped to coordinate Vacation Bible School. Merry is always looking for ways to improve the church through organization and fellowship and she spends time weekly cleaning the kitchen, purchasing supplies, and ironing linens. She visits the sick members of the Parish and takes Holy Communion to those who are unable to attend Mass. She is the go-to person at St. Rose of Lima.
Each and every Appling County Boy Scout for the past 30 years has been supported by Merry Burkett. She began assisting the local
Boy Scouts of America troop in 1981. One of the highest BSA honors of Silver Beaver was awarded to Merry in 2001 and she also received the District Award for Merit in 1998. Merry continues to work with BSA even though her two sons have received their Eagle Scout status and flown the coup. She has held the post of Cub Master, Den Leader, and currently holds the titles of troop and pack record keeper, secretary, and adult leader. Merry volunteers her time at the local, district, and regional levels and helps coordinate day camps, camp outs, and the annual pancake breakfast and popcorn sale.
The 4-H Club of Appling County is extremely active in the community and state and Merry volunteers on a regular basis and currently serves on the 4-H Extension Advisory Leadership Council. She has served as a judge of the annual Pumpkin Carving contest and chaperoned more field trips and 4-H camps than she is able count.
With the Appling County School System, Merry has volunteered a considerable amount of time to the Band Boosters, Technology Student Association (TSA), and to many other events, clubs, and classrooms. Merry served as the treasurer of Band Boosters where she organized all fundraising efforts including the cookie sale, football concession stands, and score card. The band uniforms have to be organized, fitted, ordered, and mended, and Merry held that responsibility for a number of years. She helped to organize and plan Band Camp and trips to Hawaii, Texas, and Orlando. Merry served with the Band Boosters for 10 years and just last year gave up her final responsibilities of treasurer. With the TSA, Merry has chaperoned many field trips to Jekyll and the State Fair in Perry, and in 2010 was a judge for TSA at the State Fair. She again continued with Band Boosters and TSA even after her children graduated. Merry has volunteered to judge the local science fair, help with Special Olympics, and has also helped to facilitate book fairs, and completed countless hours of classroom work with teachers.
Merry was an active member of the Citizens of Georgia Power from 1981 thru 2008 and served as both the treasurer and secretary. She has also worked with the local Girls Scouts and the Blood Mobile.
Merry and Ed have three children whom she has also dedicated her life to. Their eldest son, David, graduated from the Naval Academy and is now a Naval Officer living in San Diego, California with his wife Sarah. Helen, their daughter, graduated Summa Cum Laude in December 2011 from Valdosta State University with a degree in Mass Communications, and their youngest son, Chris, is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Southern University. Merry is a very proud mother and has always encouraged her children to be involved and volunteer in community and church activities.
I am sure there are many other local groups that have been impacted by Merry’s generous heart and overwhelming time commitments. Merry Burkett is a tremendous asset to our community and her daily efforts are irreplaceable. She volunteers because she believes in our community and has a passion for the organizations that she supports. There is no task too small or large for Merry to tackle, and she will not tell you no if you need her help. What an amazing citizen of Appling County! Please thank Merry Burkett for her efforts by awarding her the 2012 Citizen of the Year Award.
Sincerely yours,
Cristen H Floyd
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