The Southlake Kiwanis Club gave out its first Heart of Service Award last week, and its first recipient was the late John Stokes.
Southlake Kiwanis is part of a global organization that is committed to improving the lives of children through several volunteer and community service initiatives. One of the ways it does that is by recognizing the efforts of first responders, which is why Southlake Kiwanis started the Heart of Service Award to honor Carroll ISD’s school resource officers.
“The SROs work quietly behind the scenes with our most precious possessions: our children,” Southlake Kiwanis president Elizabeth Whatley says. “It made sense to partner up and honor a police officer that deals with the students that we mentor and work with.”
Southlake Kiwanis selected John Stokes as the first recipient of its Heart of Service Award, who passed away last year after serving the department for over 20 years. Elizabeth says she was proud to give the award to John’s family last Wednesday at the Southlake Police Department headquarters.
“I’m glad we’re honoring SROs, but I’m really glad the first one is going to John Stokes,” Elizabeth says. “Everything I heard about him was fabulous. I wish he were alive so we could give it to him personally, but I’m really happy we were able to honor the whole family regardless. He did not do that job by himself — he had a strong family behind him.”
To learn more about Southlake Kiwanis, visit KiwanisOfSouthlake.org.