Rosalind McVey, Beta Sigma Phi 2025 Lady of the Year

Each year the Xi Delta Psi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi meets at the end of April to celebrate its annual Founder’s Day Celebration. Beta Sigma Phi, a national organization consisting of state and local branches, was founded in 1931 in Kansas City by Walter Ross. It is a non-academic group whose goals are reflected in its motto: Vita Scientia Amicitia (Life, Learning, Friendship). It now has over 200,000 chapters. There are chapters in every state in this country as well as 30+ other countries worldwide. There are upwards of one million women involved in Beta Sigma Phi today. It was founded for the social, cultural and civic enrichment of its members and focuses mainly on community service along with other activities as well. The Swainsboro Xi Delta Psi Chapter was chartered in 1978 and today it has 29 active members with numerous inactive members. Several of the founding members of the Swainsboro chapter are still active in the sorority today.

This year the chapter held its Founder’s Day celebration on April 17, 2025, at the Sudie Fulford Community Learning Center, a part of East Georgia State College. This is also the time of the year when the sisters of Beta Sigma Phi announce their choice for their upcoming Lady of the Year. In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the chapter invites all former Ladies of the Year to join in the celebration. This year the chapter was extremely pleased to have nine former Ladies of the Year in attendance. It is an honor to have these well-respected women with us as we welcome a new addition. Joining the club for Founder’s Day this year were former Ladies of the Year, Ann Peebles (2000), Bobbie Daughtry (2009), Shari Watt (2010), Missy Elder (2015) *, Beverly Johnson (2018), Jaunita Porter (2019), Lisa Bertoch (2021), and Carolyn Derden (2024). (* An interesting note, Missy Elder, (2015) was part of the first ever dual-choice Ladies of the Year for the Xi Delta Psi Chapter. She shared this honor with Mary Ann Smith who was unable to attend due to a previous engagement).

Choosing the Lady of the Year is always a challenging task for the sisters of Beta Sigma Phi. So many women in our community are worthy and deserving of this honor. Many names are discussed before the official nomination and voting is accomplished. One name kept coming up again and again as the sisters discussed the possibilities. And after a motion was made and carried the club had made their decision of their choice of their 2025 Lady of the Year. The club always tries to get the newly chosen Lady of the Year to join the Chapter for The Founder’s Day celebration without her knowing that she will be honored. The sister who nominates the new Lady of the Year is responsible for inviting her to this gathering. This year, Phyllis Reddish had the pleasure of inviting our new honoree, who thought she was being invited to give a presentation to the club about a charitable venture she is heavily involved in. This year, Beta Sigma Phi, is honored to announce that Rosalind McVey is the 2025 Lady of the Year.

Mrs. McVey was born in Douglas, Georgia to Ruth and Tully Palmer. The family moved to Eatonton Georgia when she was 7 years old. She married Freddie McVey in 1968. Mr. McVey was in The United Staes Navy, and he was stationed at the Whitney Island Naval Air Station in Washington state. They lived in Oak Harbor Washinton for one year. Later, in 1972 they moved to Swainsboro, Georgia to be closer to family. Mr. and Mrs. McVey have one son, David McVey. He and his wife Jesssica, live in Lyons, Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. McVey have 6 grandchildren and three grandchildren. Mrs. McVey began working with the Department of Family and Children Services in 1985, giving them 25 years of dedicated service, remaining there until she retired in 2010. Mr. and Mrs. McVey are members of The First Baptist Church in Swainsboro.

Mrs. McVey is steadily involved in The First Baptist Church where she is and has been involved in numerous activities that not only serve the church but also the community. She has served as a former Bible Study Teacher and is currently the Sunday School Teacher for the Grace SS Class. She participates in the Care Ministry Team which meets the needs of the members of the church. She is the leader of one of the Fund-Raising Teams. Mrs. McVey is also a member of “Women on Mission” which is part of First Baptist Church’s Woman’s Missionary Union. As a member of the WOM she is also the Publicity Chairperson. Their projects include things like baskets for public servants in Swainsboro, and a birthday party once a month at The Emanuel Medical Center Nursing Home. She is also involved in the Women’s Day of Prayer, sending items to Georgia Women’s Shelters. She participates in so many events and projects it is difficult to name them all. These are just a few examples of the type of person Miss Rosalind is. She is kind, compassionate, empathetic, good-natured, merciful, and generous. Her husband once was heard telling a friend, “She buys a lot of groceries and cooks all the time, but most of what she cooks goes out the door.”

Along with so many other philanthropical projects Miss Rosalind is currently very passionate and deeply involved in a worldwide, extremely important Fund-Raising Project called Pure Water, Pure Love. The Woman’s Missionary Union manages Pure Water, Pure Love (PW/PL). Their main focus is getting clean drinking water to people throughout the world who are at constant risk of contracting diseases and parasites from their local water sources. Large numbers of these people are forced to carry heavy jugs of water for miles just to be sure their families have clean, healthy water. For some, the prospect of clean water is simply non-existent. With the help of hundreds of churches PW/PL provides thousands of water filtering systems to missionary families and help fund clean water projects. PW/PL has a three-fold mission: 1-to supply missionaries with water filters, 2-to provide the people they serve with wells that offer clean water, and 3- to supply mission teams with water filters for use on short-term mission trips. Even now at The First Baptist Church in Swainsboro there are tubs on the porch full of new bottled water. Church members and visitors can pick up a full bottle of water, drink it, and then return the emptied bottles to the church the following Sunday with a donation tucked inside. This is a simple but remarkable way to allow everyone to be involved in such a worthy project. Children really enjoy this project, making it also a wonderful way to teach children the importance of giving to others that are less fortunate than they are.

Each year as Beta Sigma Phi selects a new Lady of the Year, she is honored by the clubs making a $100.00 donation to a charity of her choice. Mrs. McVey did not hesitate one moment with her choice and a donation to Pure Water, Pure Love will be made in honor of Mrs. Roslind McVey.

If anyone in the public sector would like to donate to Pure Water, Pure Love you can send your check to: The First Baptist Church, 240 West Main St., Swainsboro, GA 30401 (be sure to earmark the line at the bottom left of your check with the words Pure Water/Pure Love).

Again, The Xi Delta Psi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi congratulates Mrs. Roslind McVey for everything that she does locally for our community and on a larger scale, for thousands of others around the world with her deep conviction to the Pure Water, Pure Love project. She is truly the perfect example of a Servant of God, a gracious and wonderfully benevolent woman. Emanual county is very fortunate to have such a giving and good-hearted person as part of this community. The sisters of Beta Sigma Phi are certain that she inspires many others by her meaningful contributions to humankind.

Betsy Johnson, President, Beta Sigma Phi, Lady of the Year, Rosalind McVey, and Phyllis Reddish