Giving Tree ceremony honors Stiles’ legacy and impact

Published 4:42 pm Wednesday, May 11, 2022

On the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, a tree was planted on the Georgia College campus honoring the indelible mark that Kendall Stiles left on the university and surrounding community. 

Stiles founded Georgia College’s GIVE (Georgia College Inspiring Volunteers to Engage) Center in 1997, and under her direction, the center has helped engage more than 21,000 student volunteers in nearly 1 million service hours. 

The Giving Tree was established in 1996 by Stiles and honors members of the Georgia College community who have made the greatest impact during their time there. Over the years, many deserving students, faculty, staff and organizations have had trees planted in their honor. In 2016, The Giving Tree was named in memory of Eve Puckett, a beloved member of the Georgia College community. 

After retiring in late 2021, Stiles was honored on April 29 with a tree planted to recognize her impact. 

“She has shepherded thousands of students through their journeys of service and servant leadership,” said Executive Director of Student Engagement Emily Jarvis. “She established the culture of giving back that distinguishes the Georgia College experience. Students who may never have the privilege of meeting Kendall will continue to benefit from her vision, her passion and her incredible spirit.” 

The tree planted honoring Stiles is a ginkgo tree, the same as the one she first planted back in 1996. More than 250 million years old, the ginkgo is one of the oldest living tree species and is famous for exploding each fall season with beautiful, bright yellow leaves. 

“I can’t think of a more fitting symbol for Kendall, an absolute beacon of light and warmth and joy for all who come across them…,” Jarvis said. “This tree behind me will take root and grow as The GIVE Center has taken root and grown on our campus for the last 26 years. It will burst with bright light just as Kendall has been a bright light in all of our lives. Each year, it will drop its leaves in the fall and renew in the Spring, just as Kendall has taught us that we are renewed each time we serve each other.” 

After the book, “The Giving Tree,” was read by Kristy Johnson, who worked with Stiles for five years as assistant director of The GIVE Center, Women’s Center Director Dr. Jennifer Graham spoke about the mentorship and friendship she has shared with Stiles since meeting her 20 years ago. The two first met when Graham was a student working on starting a service organization. 

“Kendall offered space, much-needed organizational and project management skills, and most importantly, a way to hone in and make connections between the things I was learning about in class, my passions, and a way to give back to this community,” Graham said. “She introduced me and my friends to connections that she had and showed us by leading by example how to bring people on board.” 

When Graham later became a graduate assistant within The Women’s Center, she said it was Stiles who took her under her wing and became her mentor. 

“This story of mentorship and friendship is not unique to me,” she said. “It’s just how Kendall is. So many of us who worked with Kendall through The GIVE Center have been blessed by this mentorship and this friendship, and it didn’t stop when we graduated, as evidenced by the fact that there are so many of us here today. She kept in touch with us. She wanted to know how we were doing, how our families were doing, what we were doing with work, how our kids were doing. She was always willing to give back to us, her GIVE kids, whether through writing letters of recommendation, offering a listening ear and giving out some tough love when it was needed.” 

As director of The GIVE Center, Stiles always emphasized recognizing volunteers. 

“And today, we celebrate Kendall and all of the ways that she has contributed to this institution, to this greater Milledgeville community, to The GIVE Center, and most importantly to all of us,” Graham said. “I can’t think of a better way to recognize her legacy than through The Giving Tree as we celebrate her today.” 

Stiles was on hand for the event and helped plant the tree in front of Russell Auditorium. 

Although Stiles did not speak during last week’s ceremony, in early 2021, she talked in an interview about her path to Georgia College 28 years ago. 

Originally from the small town of Maiden, N.C., she had completed her master’s degree in leadership and higher education at Appalachian State University. She visited Georgia for the very first time to go to a job fair, and it was there that she applied for a position at Georgia College in Student Activities. It was a nine-month position, and she only planned to stay for that long. 

“And so, I know that God had a plan for me,” Stiles said last year. “I just had no clue what it was. I’m just glad I listened to Him. I was able to create my career at Georgia College as the director of The GIVE Center, and I have no regrets… I have absolutely loved my job at Georgia College. I love working with the students. I love what I get to do. I feel very blessed and grateful that I get to go out and make a difference in the community but also get college students to do that, and I have loved every minute of it.”