State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, community leader Ken Bevel receive Griffin Community Service Awards

From Staff Reports

ALBANY – Phoebe Putney Health System recently honored retiring state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims as the 2025 winner of the Lemuel Griffin Community Service Award and Ken Bevel as the recipient of the 2026 award. Each award comes with a $10,000 donation given to a deserving organization of the honoree’s choice.

State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, third from right, celebrated with friends and community leaders as she was named the recipient of the 2025 Lemuel Griffin Community Service Award, presented by Phoebe Putney Health System. Special Photo: Phoebe

Before presenting Bevel with this year’s award, Phoebe leaders reflected on the man whose name the honor bears. Though he was a successful businessman who served nearly 30 years on Phoebe boards of directors – including 15 as chairman of the health system board – Lem Griffin remained rooted in the simple things he loved most.

Phoebe Putney Health System President/CEO Scott Steiner recalled traveling with Griffin to a hospital association meeting when he lit up talking about his family, grandchildren, the Boy Scouts, and fish fries. Then, without warning, Griffin asked him to pull over.

“I said, ‘Mr. Griffin, where are we stopping?’ He said, ‘Up here, to get some boiled peanuts,” Steiner recalled with a laugh. “I still haven’t acquired his taste for boiled peanuts, but it was just a special time and an opportunity to really hear about his life, and about his service to his community, to his family, and always to others.”

Those who knew Griffin say the story perfectly reflects the man behind the award. That spirit lives on in the latest recipients, Sims and Bevel, who were selected by a committee of volunteer Phoebe board members. Though their paths of service have been different, both have spent their lives putting others first, strengthening their communities, and leading with the same integrity, generosity, and commitment that defined Griffin’s legacy.

Sims is a longtime educator and public servant who served two terms in the Georgia House of Representatives and 18 years in the Georgia Senate. Bevel is a U.S. Marine veteran, community leader and senior associate pastor at Sherwood Baptist Church who has also played roles in several movies produced by Sherwood Pictures. The service award recognizes individuals who, like Griffin, have made an uncommon impact on southwest Georgia.

Sims spent many years as a teacher and principal before carrying her service into public office, where she became a steady voice for southwest Georgia, especially on issues impacting young people and access to quality healthcare.

“For many years, Freddie served our young people as a teacher and principal. She didn’t just educate the children, she encouraged them, she believed in them,” Don Monk, chair of the Phoebe Putney Health System Board of Directors, said.

Sims is gifting her $10,000 award in equal shares of $2,500 to the nursing programs at Fort Valley State University, Georgia Southwestern State University, Albany State University and Albany Technical College, helping students continue their education and enter the nursing profession.

“Education, young people, healthcare, and service: The things she has spent her life championing are all represented in what she has chosen to do with this honor,” Steiner said. “For her, service has never been about title or recognition.”

Accepting the award, Sims said she is more comfortable out of the spotlight. 

“I am the one that likes to sit in the back quietly, trying to get the work done,” she said. “I am at a loss for words, but so appreciative of this award.”

Like Griffin, Sims has spent a lifetime quietly making a difference, choosing service over recognition and always putting the needs of others first. Those same qualities are reflected in the leadership and community impact of fellow recipient Ken Bevel.

“Ken has a remarkable ability to bring people together and to get things done,” Monk said. “When Ken takes on a challenge, you know the mission will be accomplished. But what makes it special is his heart for serving others.”

Bevel was nominated by Frank Griffin, who called him a mountain mover and pointed to his leadership in the wake of the January 2017 storms that struck southwest Georgia and during community meetings about COVID-19 in 2020.

After back-to-back devastating storms, Bevel played a pivotal role in the recovery effort alongside church and relief partners. When COVID-19 hit Albany hard, he again provided steady leadership, bringing faith leaders, elected officials, and community leaders together to communicate and find solutions.

“When our neighbors face adversity, Ken steps forward,” Steiner said. “Ken doesn’t just see the need. He rolls up his sleeves and gets it done. His faith guides his actions, his compassion motivates his service, and his leadership inspires others. You’ve reminded us that true community leadership isn’t about recognition. It’s about service.”

That commitment shows up in individual lives, including that of a young man Bevel helped after he attended an automotive class at Sherwood’s Hope Center, a local outreach ministry to which Bevel donated his $10,000 award. During one class the young man’s phone kept ringing.

“We had to step outside and tell him, ‘Man, we can’t have class like this,’ and he looked at me and said, he understood,” Bevel said. “But we also asked ourselves, ‘How else can we help him?”

Bevel got to know the young man and with support, he went on to earn his learner’s permit and then his driver’s license for the first time, and his progress reached beyond the classroom.

“His spirit inspired his own family members. His wife now works at Phoebe because she saw him go out and achieve things. That’s what this community is about,” Bevel said.  

Those same qualities that Griffin exhibited are reflected in the latest award recipients. Through decades of service, Sims and Bevel have demonstrated the humility, compassion and commitment that defined Griffin’s life. 

Phoebe is currently accepting nominations for the 2027 award. To nominate a deserving community servant, visit www.phoebehealth.com/lemgriffinaward.