Betty Gill, who has been honored as The Daily News Citizen of the Year for Washington Parish West, is passionate about serving her community through involvement with the Rotary organization. And it all started because of one lunch break.

“I was working at the Parish National Bank in Bogalusa,” Gill said. “It was back in 1996, and one of my co-workers was a Rotarian. She asked me to join her for lunch one day, and the rest is history. I was sold on it from the beginning.”

According to Gill, Rotary International assists with “humanitarian needs,” both globally and locally. Rotary’s local service projects include providing a literacy program for school children and singing Christmas carols in nursing homes. The organization also sponsors a leadership camp called RYLA, or Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, for teenagers going into their senior year of high school.

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Some of Gill’s current offices within the Rotary organization are secretary/ treasurer of the Rotary Club of Franklinton and assistant district governor for Rotary District 6840, which covers southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi.

A lifelong Washington Parish resident, Betty Gill is involved in a number of organizations in addition to Rotary. She is an active member of the board of the Franklinton Community Theater. Gill said that the theater is “very viable” and that it has a production scheduled for the fall. Plays recently put on by the group include “The Wizard of Oz” and “God’s Favorite.”

Other community organizations Betty Gill has served include the Washington Parish Fair Association, the Franklinton Country Club and Franklinton Chamber of Commerce, where she was president for two years.

Gill was chosen as Citizen of the Year by a panel of past recipients of the title. She said she was “surprised” and “appreciative” when she walked into the Varnado Store Museum and learned that she had been chosen.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be in the same class as the people who were just sitting here,” Betty Gill said.

Last year’s honorees, Larry and Claire McGuire, recognized Gill’s willingness to lend a hand in her community. 

“We’ve known her for several years, and she jumps in and does things that need to be done,” said Larry McGuire.

Betty Gill’s husband, Mike, was Citizen of the Year for West Washington Parish in 2003. The couple actually met through their shared passion for community service.

The Gills, who were married in 2005, volunteer together and are both involved with organizations such as the Rotary Club of Franklinton and the Franklinton Community Theater.

“Though serving our community, we built a friendship that grew, and it’s the most incredible thing ever,” Betty Gill said. “I’ve got an incredible life, but we owe it all to God.”

After working in the banking industry for 38 years, Betty Gill recently retired from Whitney National Bank. She was vice president of the Franklinton branch. She said that she has no plans to slow down during retirement but instead will use the extra time to help others.

“Betty just retired from full-time work so she could full-time serve,” Mike Gill said.

 A reception will be held for Betty Gill at a later date.

“We look forward to her being recognized by the community in the near future,” Claire McGuire said.