Kiwanis Club of Lehigh Acres held its annual Community Awards and Scholarship Banquet on June 25 at 6 p.m., inside the Christ United Methodist Church located on Lee Boulevard. This year there was Our “Future Heroes” and also marked the 50th Anniversary for the Kiwanis Club Lehigh Acres.
Prior to the scholarship recipient’s announcement, special presentations were made for Service to Youth Awards
The Kiwanis Club of Lehigh Acres also awarded 27 scholarships for a total of $76,652 to Lehigh Acres students. Two awards were awarded to Riverdale High School students, four to Lehigh Senior High School students, and 15 to East Lee County High School students. Six awards, for a total of $17,852, go to renewed scholarships so students can continue their college education.
Kiwanis members ended with a presentation of their 2021 Hometown Heroes Awards. This year’s recipients were Dayna Flores, Lehigh Regional Medical Center, presented by Jacklyn Arsenault, and Deputy Alexandria Davis, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, presented by Captain Mark Ballard.
Dayna Flores is the hospital’s Manager Performance Improvement/Risk Manager and holds the following — MBA, MSN, RN, LSSBB.
Lehigh Medical Center’s Jackie Arsenault, from Business Development/Marketing, was on-hand to say a few words of recognition and present Flores her Hometown Hero award. Arsenault thanked Flores for helping to keep the hospital running efficiently, especially through the COVID-19 crisis.
“She worked exceptionally hard academically and she works exceptionally hard at Lehigh Regional Medical Center. She is an amazing asset to our hospital,” Arsenault said. “We want to thank you for all you’ve done here at Lehigh Regional Medical Center. Our hospital is in good hands because of all the great work you do here.”
Following the event, Flores, who is a longtime Lehigh resident, gave a little background of her educational pursuit and work background.
“My husband and I have been Lehigh Acres residents for 11 years and we have four children. I’ve been a nurse for 18 years and currently work as the Risk Manager and Manager of Performance Improvement at Lehigh Regional Medical Center. I obtained a BSN from FGCU in 2003, an MSN from Nova Southeastern University in 2017 and an MBA from WGU in 2021,” Flores said. “I’m proud to live and work in Lehigh Acres. I am blessed to be part of the leadership team at Lehigh Regional Medical Center and honored to work with so many exceptional and dedicated staff committed to providing quality care to the community.”