Administrator and community volunteer Donna Miller dies

By Mike Chason/Abraham Baldwin College

TIFTON — Dr. Donna Miller will be always be remembered as a person who believed in giving back to the community. Miller, 62, died unexpectedly Sunday. She had served as the director of institutional research at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College since July 1, 1993.

“I don’t do things for the recognition,” Miller said in 2007 when she received the Becky Mann Volunteer of the Year award from the City of Tifton. “I do things because it is satisfying to me to give back. I was very shocked and humbled by the recognition.”

The Tifton community benefited greatly from Miller’s generous contributions of time and talent to not just one organization, but many local organizations in town.

“Everyone should find an hour within their week to give back to the community that gives so much to us,” Miller said at that time. “An hour is not much.”

As a cancer survivor, she served on the American Cancer Society Leadership Board and was a “Reach for Recovery’ volunteer.

Miller served as the American Cancer Society’s State Lead Ambassador for Georgia and was chairman of the State Public Policy Advisory Committee. She was also Relay for Life advocacy chairman.

She was the recipient of the ACS’ national Terese Lasser Award, in recognition of her work with the Reach to Recovery program.

In 2002 she co-founded the Tiftarea Foundation for Women’s Health, an organization that has donated funds to address women’s health issues through Tift Regional Medical Center, Affinity Health Group, Ruth’s Cottage and Patticake House.

She was a Tifton Kiwanis Club member for 14 years and was an active big sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, serving on the organization’s Board of Directors and as past president. Miller served a four-year term on the Greater Tift County Planning and Zoning Commission. She was also an avid patron of the arts, serving as a long-time Love Affair volunteer and as chair of the Arts and Entertainment Series Hospitality Committee.

Miller was an active member of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, serving as a co-chair of the calling committee. She chaired the Foyer Group, organizing small fellowship groups and assisting the priest with various responsibilities within the church. Miller was an ABAC alumna (Class of 1966) and volunteered her time as a board member with the ABAC Alumni Association.

In 1996, Miller used her vacation to volunteer as a driver for the motor pool in the Olympic Games in Atlanta. During that time, she drove many dignitaries from various countries to Olympic venue sites.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, with burial to follow at 4 p.m. at Riverview Memorial Gardens in Valdosta. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Albritton-Beaumont Funeral Directors.

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