Spherion Middle Georgia Awards Warner Robins High School Graduate with Sandy Mazur Excellence in Leadership Scholarship

Local Franchisee Honors Graduating Warner Robins High School Student With $5,000 Scholarship Towards Higher Education

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – With its largest gifts to date, the Spherion Staffing and Recruiting (Spherion) franchise community announced today that 2024 Warner Robins High School (WRHS) graduate Kimarra Turner is one of three winners of its annual Sandy Mazur Excellence in Leadership Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship was created in honor of former Spherion President Sandy Mazur to recognize outstanding students who best embody the qualities of excellence, leadership and passion that Mazur exhibited daily throughout her distinguished 18-year career at Spherion. The scholarship’s goal is to help students further their education through college, technical or skilled training.

Turner is deeply involved in the Warner Robins community. She works as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and as a school ambassador at WRHS, where she acts as a liaison between students and faculty. As a CNA, she has been able to pay it forward by spreading kindness and positivity to her patients. She accredits extracurricular activities such as tennis and cheerleading with teaching her the value of teamwork, dedication, and perseverance.

“It was Kimarra’s passion for leading by example and being a positive light for others in the world through her work as a CNA that stood out to our committee as we reviewed each of the applicants,” said Michael Chalmers, franchise owner of Spherion Middle Georgia and co-lead of the Spherion Scholarship Advisory Board. “Not only is she an accomplished student-athlete, but she has devoted her time to helping others in a big way. We’re looking forward to seeing all that she accomplishes as she takes this next step in her educational journey at Tuskegee University!” 

The purpose of the scholarship is to support aspiring students of all ages seeking higher education who demonstrate the qualities that Mazur embodies, like Turner. Mazur’s passion for making a difference in the lives of others serves as an example to the teams at hundreds of local Spherion offices nationwide and continues to inspire Spherion franchisees to fund this scholarship program. This past spring, at the Spherion National Meeting, franchisees went the extra mile by hosting an online and live auction fundraiser for the scholarship, which resulted in the group raising almost double the amounts it has raised in past years. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to scholarship recipients. 

The Spherion Scholarship Advisory Board, led by franchisees Beth DeLaney and Michael Chalmers, coordinates with Ohio-based nonprofit The Richland County Foundation to review hundreds of applicants and choose the finalists. From there, a group of franchise community representatives, including DeLaney, Chalmers, and Mazur, chooses the winners. With the names and locations removed, the group reviewed the applicants and selected Turner as one of three 2024 scholarship recipients.

“I am honored to share that Kimarra is one of the recipients of the fifth annual Sandy Mazur Scholarship. Her high school achievements are a testament to her hard work and determination to make a positive impact,” said Mazur. “This scholarship allows us to support our future leaders during their continued education, which is especially important in a year that has seen so many ups and downs around access to higher education. Congratulations again, Kimarra!  

In addition to Turner, Hannah DeGraaff was also honored with a $5,000 scholarship.

For more information about Spherion in Middle Georgia, visit spherion.com/byron. 

For more information about the Sandy Mazur Excellence in Leadership Scholarship, visit spherion.com/scholarship. 

About Spherion

With more than 75 years of staffing and recruiting experience, Spherion stands out as a leader in the industry, leveraging the power of “local” to support its vast network of independent franchisees. True to its tagline, Let’s Get to Work, Spherion provides temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire, and managed hiring services to more than 4,000 businesses nationwide across 200+ locations. With a 4.8/5 star Google review score and recognition as a Top 100 Staffing Company to Work for by World Staffing Awards, a Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review, and ranking #63 on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2024 Franchise 500 list, Spherion capably caters to the ever-changing demands of America’s workforce. Backed by the world’s most equitable and specialized talent company, Spherion provides superior staffing and recruiting solutions through its franchise model. 

For information about the Spherion franchising opportunity, visit spherion.com/franchise.

About the Richland County Foundation

The Richland County Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization, was established in 1945 as a way for individuals to pool and invest their gifts for the long-term good of Richland County (Ohio) and its residents.

The Foundation helps people in Richland County give back to their community by investing their gifts for charity wisely so that grants can be made to improve the quality of life for all the county’s citizens. Working together with donors, the Foundation meets important needs today and plans for a strong future.

For more information about the Richland County Foundation, please visit richlandcountyfoundation.org.