Kevin McSherry honored as Div. 35 Layperson of the Year

Cameo Harvey presents the Layperson of the Year award to Kevin McSherry.

Kevin McSherry didn’t expect to be called to the front of the room — but that’s exactly what happened when Cameo Harvey, president of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene, asked him to step forward at a recent club meeting.

She congratulated him and presented him with his official Division 35 Layperson of the Year plaque, a recognition that had begun the week before when McSherry received his certificate at a Prayer Breakfast at Wylie Baptist Church.

The Layperson of the Year award is one of Kiwanis’s longstanding traditions, given to a non-clergy member who reflects the organization’s founding values — placing spiritual and human concerns above material ones, and living out the Golden Rule in everyday life. Clergy members are intentionally left out of the running; the honor exists to recognize everyday people whose faith shows up in how they treat others and serve their community. Local clubs select their own winner, who then goes on to represent the division at higher levels of competition within the Kiwanis district.

For McSherry, the moment was about more than the plaque itself. He thanked the club and the division for the honor, then turned the conversation toward the event that had meant the most to him: the Prayer Breakfast itself. He told members how moved he’d been by the morning at Wylie Baptist Church, and didn’t hold back his enthusiasm — urging everyone in the room to make plans to attend next year’s breakfast.