TIFTON — Arno and Sylvia McKinnon will be the guests of honor and recipients of the 2008-2009 Parenting Excellence Award at a PLIGHT banquet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Agrirama. Anyone interested in attending may call 386-4360 for tickets.

The McKinnons are praised by their family and friends as being highly involved in their church, St. John Holiness Church, and for raising their daughters, Brittney and Courtney, to do the same.

They will be the 19th recipients of the annual award given each year by Proud Loving Individuals Giving a Hand to Teens. The award is designed to recognize outstanding parenting in the community.

Winners each year are chosen based on submissions from the community. The McKinnons will be given a plaque at the banquet and their family members and friends will be invited to tell the audience why they think the McKinnons have earned the award.

The McKinnons are dedicated to being a part of their children’s lives.

“They are involved in their daughters’ lives in every area,” Bernice McKinnon, Arno’s mother, wrote in her nomination letter to PLIGHT.

According to Bernice, both of the McKinnon’s daughters have been cheerleaders and one participated in band while in high school. Arno and Sylvia have been active members of the band parents’ organization and have traveled to support their daughters wherever they perform.

“It can be tough working all day and then going to a practice or a competition, but that’s what you have to do,” Arno said. “You have to get your kids invovled and foster their abilities.”

According to Sylvia, her daughters have never attended a competition without at least one parent and when one of the girls is cheering at a game both Arno and Sylvia are in the stands every Friday night.

Church plays a large role in how the McKinnons have raised their daughters.

“Arno and Sylvia have family prayer with their daughters and are teaching them the goodness of the Lord,” wrote Arno’s siblings, Pat, Kevin and Ronnie McKinnon.

The girls serve in their church on a national level in the praise and dance teams and are very active, like their parents. Arno serves as chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry, teaches a youth Sunday school class, provides transportation to church members, sings in the choir and serves as musician for his church.

Sylvia serves on the board of directors for the church, as a choir director and is the president of the youth department at their church. She also teaches a primary Sunday school class.

Together the couple have mentored many young couples, have held workshops targeting the youth in Tiftarea and have bought clothes, shoes and food for the needy as well as parenting their own children and teaching them their beliefs.

“Family prayer is huge and so is an open line of communication.” Arno said. “We believe it’s God first, then your family and then your career. We were both raised in church, that’s where we met and that is the only way to have a family.”



To contact reporter Chivaun Perez, call 382-4321.