HVA Interact Club officer gets $1,000 scholarship

The Rotary Club of Farragut recently presented a $1,000 scholarship to Kitely Sherman of Hardin Valley Academy. Kitely was co-president of the HVA Interact Club. She will be attending Agnes Scott College near Atlanta and will major in political science and public health, hoping to become a lawyer. She was the Ethics Bowl president, HVA National Honor Society co-president, Hawkeye multimedia editor, KCS Student Advisory Committee member, AP Scholar with distinction, and she also works at Ace Hardware!

In her essay, she states that leading the Interact Club was transformative in how she thinks about others, leading, and serving her community.

New member: Sara Branson’s name is one many people in Farragut and West Knox County know. For 20-plus years, she and husband Steve have volunteered for a second full-time job – they’ve been the driving force and top two leaders of the Farragut Baseball Recreational League. And now she can add being a new member of the Rotary Club of Farragut.

The Bransons oversee approximately 2,000 kids, plus managers and coaches and every aspect of this organization through the non-profit Farragut Baseball Inc., the cohesive group organizing and administering recreational youth baseball since the mid-1990s. The players, both boys and girls, range from age 3 to 18. They play at Knox County’s Farragut Baseball Ballpark off South Northshore Drive across from The Cove.

Steve is president of Farragut Baseball and Sara wears many hats – as vice president of finance and administration, she handles all registration, scheduling, scholarship programs, accounts receivable/ payable and fundraising.

And both have full-time jobs. Steve and his partner own The Resurfacing Specialist, which handles the resurfacing, repairing and refinishing kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities and tub/tile surfaces. Sara is an East Tennessean from Jefferson County and Dandridge and is a commercial loan officer at Community Trust Bank in Clinton. Another banker and Farragut Rotarian, Sonya Ford, sponsored Sara’s membership. She was inducted on July 19.

They’re also busy at home with three children – Connor, 17, a senior at Farragut High School; and twins Ella and Elizabeth, 12, who will be in the 7th grade at Farragut Middle. Sara is a lifelong equestrian as are the twins.

Rotarian Ron Williams, mayor of the town of Farragut, has another big job on his plate. He was recently elected to the prestigious position board president of the Tennessee Municipal League (TML). His plate includes being a Farragut Planning Commissioner, chair of the East Tennessee Health Resources Agency board, chairman of the East Tennessee Development District Executive Committee, and on the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization, among others. The man stays on the go!

Emily Lamon Justice became a Farragut Rotarian on March 1 and she’s been working with her family and staff in opening their new store in Turkey Creek. Note the name Lamon — as in Lamon Jewelers. They have closed their Log Cabin store near West Town Mall and last week celebrated the grand opening of their new store at 11237 Parkside Drive. The new 8,600 square-foot-store is in The Pinnacle Center. The Lamon brand has been in the jewelry business in Knoxville for more than 40 years.

Tom King is a career journalist and a past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. If you want more information about Rotary or are interested in attending a meeting or joining, please email Tom.