Chris Turner

Chris Turner has donated quality hours of service to the Milledgeville community while attending Georgia College State University (GCSU). Much of his volunteer service has been done with the GIVE Center (GCSU Involved in Volunteer Efforts).

The GIVE Center is the community service center on campus. Turner is a regular fixture at the Center, and he is a prime example of an emerging leader on the campus. Though he has only been working with the Center for a year, Turner has taken a program from and idea to a reality.

Turner created the GCSU Santa Miracle Fund, which is a service program that works directly with the Children's Hospital in Macon. The Fund provides the children an opportunity to go and get the Holiday gifts that their precious little heart’s desire. Turner, along with the help of his fellow volunteers, sponsors fundraisers, develops corporate sponsor partnerships and organizes special events to raise money to purchase gift cards from Toys R Us or Walmart for these children.

These children get to go to the stores if they are able and pick out their own gifts rather than have someone purchase the gifts and give them to them. This has been a wonderful program on the campus. Chris actually worked with this program in high school, in his home town of Augusta. He saw the same need in Milledgeville and worked to be able to bring it to the GCSU campus.

The staff at The GIVE Center is appreciative of Turner and his compassion for others. He has a genuine concern for others and works to make people happy. The GCSU community will benefit while he is a student and hope that he will be an example to others and recruit more young people to serve.

Turner is excited about giving to others and is particularly joyful when obtaining donations because knows this will enable more children to receive. He has a passion for nonprofit work, and Turner's career goal is to be an Executive Director of nonprofit , and he has started to lay the foundation for that career already.

This year has been a great learning experience for Turner, and it has helped him to understand how nonprofits work and how to handle different situations. He has gotten some great hands on experience and has "passed with flying colors."

He has excelled at being a servant leader and has shown such determination and drive. Turner sets goals and utilizes the appropriate tactics to meet them. He has great leadership and communication skills as well as his organizational skills to help him to take this program to the next level. The staff at The GIVE Center looks forward to seeing where he will take this program as well as how he will continue developing as a true leader on campus and in the community.