The Kiwanis Club of Durant had its annual banquet last week at First Baptist Church where awards were presented and new officers installed.
The Legion of Honor award was presented to Joe Barrett, who joined Durant Kiwanis in 1984. Hudson Toews was named Kiwanian of the Year and outgoing President Kyle Stephens was awarded the C.T. Bush Award.
Jeremy Rowland was named the Layperson of the Year.
Stephens, who served as president for 2022-2024, spoke during the banquet and he thanked everyone for helping during his year as president.
“To the incoming officers and board members, thank you for your willingness to serve,” Stephens said. “I look forward to working alongside you this coming year as past president. At the beginning of my presidency, the challenge I set forth for myself and the club was to make a greater impact on this community and beyond. I believe we succeeded. We have done a successful pancake day, despite the previous administration’s decision to increase the ticket prices (draws laughter).”
He thanked Kiwanis Treasurer Angela Pierce for coordinating everything for pancake day and also Tommy Kramer for his efforts to sell tickets to many of the larger businesses.
“You may have noticed in the program we continue to support many community outreach projects, including Meals on Wheels, Pastor Appreciation Luncheon, the Fourth Grade Track Meet, the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Key Club dessert auction, Durant High Baccalaureate, Wesley Center Lunch and the Community Prayer Breakfast,” Stephens said.
Stephens gave a big shout-out to Bart Rustin for coordinating the prayer breakfast and he said a lot of planning goes into that event. He said a new activity for the club was helping with the inaugural Westside Christmas and he thanked Jason Manous for plugging the club into that event.
He said the club continues to give and its members are generous. One-thousand dollar scholarships were awarded to several high school seniors and additional funds were contributed to the local Key Club and district-level individuals for their convention. Stephens said a project of his that is coming together is that the club helped develop and furnish two suites to be used for counseling purposes at the Durant Middle School.
The Durant ISD Safe Schools team and I are excited about how these spaces will be utilized during the school year,” he said.
All together, Stephens said serving as president was a lot more work than he expected.
“But it definitely helped me step out of my comfort zone,” he said. “I want to thank each of the members here for helping me along the way.”
Stephens said he especially wanted to thank Manous for his help in navigating the year and all of the resources he provided from the beginning all the way to this evening. He also thanked Betty Clay and said she was his “lunch buddy” during the club’s meetings every Wednesday.
“You do so much of the administrative work throughout the year that keeps us all inline,” Stephens said. “You are invaluable to the president and to the club as a whole. Lastly, I also would like to thank my wife Kalyn. She supported me and put up with all the extra time commitment outside of work and managing four kids. This role couldn’t be performed effectively without an understanding spouse.
“The Kiwanis Club of Durant is definitely a team effort. I greatly appreciate you all and look forward to continue the impact we will have on our community in the coming years.“ Jeremy Rowland, a past president of Kiwanis, spoke of the passing of the gavel where the gavel is passed by past presidents to the new president.
“Its very symbolic that we do this, I think for the past several years now,” Rowland said.
The gavel was then passed down the line until being given to Shyla Whitlock, the Kiwanis Club of Durant president for 2024-2025.
“I am so proud and a little, nervous, a lot nervous, to be your president and to follow in such an amazing group of men and women,” Whitlock said. “No matter how many times I see that gavel passing ceremony, I can’t help but get choked up and especially so tonight.”
Whitlock said she remembered the day Kiwanis Club treasurer Darrell Mendez approached her at the Easter egg hunt and asked about her thoughts on her future with Kiwanis and why she chose the club.
“The answer to that is Kiwanis is where my heart is,” Whitlock said. “Kiwanis is all about the children and how can you not love an organization that puts children first? They’re the most pure and loving piece of this world. If we can be a small part of some of the best memories of their lives such as track meets, Easter egg hunts, ball fields and pancakes for dinner with mom and dad. Yes, we’re all in the right place.
“I can’t help but think of my own memories of pancake day when I was in Ada. My boys were always so excited to have pancakes and slide down the pole at the fire station and I feel like I’ve come full circle. Now, I’m helping families make those memories on their pancake day.”
She thanked her family for attending the banquet.
“You have no idea what it means to me,” Whitlock said. “I also want to thank you for the work that you have coming that you may not realize.”
Whitlock also thanked Stephens for his leadership as president during 2023-2024.
“I have no doubt that although you enjoyed your time immensely, that you’re pretty happy to pass that gavel,” she said.
She spoke of Toews, who has previously been president and will be serving in that capacity again next year.
“Hudson, enjoy your calm before the storm although I’m thinking this position must really not be that bad since you’re willing to do it again,” Whitlock said.
Kiwanis Lt. Gov. Robin Meyer installed the new officers and she brought a Mr. Potato Head toy for the ceremony where each officer helped to assemble. Whitlock thanked her for attending.
Club officers for 2025-2025 are: President-Elect Hudson Toews, Vice President Barbara O’Steen, Secretary Betty Clay, and treasurers Darrell Mendez, Savanna Hill and Angela Pierce.
