Don E. McNair Jr. Friend Of Youth 2021 Award Presented To Dan Derrington

On Tuesday, September 7th, 2021, The Downtown Optimist Club of Meridian presented the 2021 Don E. McNair, Jr. Friend of Youth Award to DTOC member Dan Derrington. Dan was a member of the Jackson Optimist Club from 1983 -1990 and a member of the North Meridian Optimist Club from 1993 – 2004 before joining the Downtown Optimist Club of Meridian in 2008. He has served as a Board Member, Vice President and President of the DTOC and has been an active participant of all DTOC projects along the way.

Dan was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Don E. McNair, Jr. Friend Of Youth Award because of his tireless efforts, his dedication to community services and his willingness do any task required for any project to succeed. Whether it is cooking french fries in a hot concession stand during the DTOC T-Ball season, preparing and serving to-go boxes at Pancake Jubilee or filling any position within the leadership of the club, Dan is there. And this dedication to supporting his community is not limited to the Optimist Club, it is demonstrated in his commitment to his church, First Presbyterian Church of Meridian, and the Meridian community at large.

The Friend Of Youth award comes with a donation of $250 made in the name of the recipient to the youth program of their choice and Dan has selected the Little Men Mentors as the program to receive the donation.