CLAYTON -- With three children in the sports programs and a wife who puts in 700 hours a year alongside him, Tony Stoneking made the perfect choice for 2011 Clayton Civitan of the year.
If you don't know them, it's almost difficult to tell Stoneking apart from his counterpart and fellow Civitan dad Troy Smith, who won the 2011 Rotary Service Member of the year award -- both accepting awards back to back at the Chamber banquet Jan. 24.
Stoneking and Smith are both coaches in the baseball and football programs, they're both board members, and they're both on the buildings and grounds committee aiming to raise $600,000 to add and improve the Civitan sports fields and facilities.
Yet while Smith is Civitan President-Elect for 2013, Stoneking has already been president.
But that position isn't where he decided to stop, as he sits on the long-range planning committee and keeps abreast of the 8-year plan to upgrade the program's infrastructure.
"We spend around 700 hours per year at the Civitan club for work days, fundraisers, sports, meetings and fellowship," Stoneking said of his Civitan involvement.
He was also integral in the spring and fall barbecue fundraisers, and was co-chairman for the youth Turkey Bowl at Thanksgiving - a football tournament fundraiser.
A member for only six years - he's gotten a lot done. Most notably, he's even gotten his three boys to maintain their commitment to the programs.
"The reason I joined is, our club is about the community and family, as well as giving the youth an opportunity to grow in leadership and teamwork," Stoneking said.
The former president and 2011 Civitan of the year has also managed to get his Raleigh-based company on board the Civitan ship.
Balfour Beatty Construction has not only sponsored the club financially, but Stoneking has rallied his coworkers toward the recent construction of a new women's bathroom, a picnic area canopy with picnic tables, wrought iron entry gates, and a handicap ramp for an elderly member of the club.
The construction company also just donated and installed a new scoreboard.
And for as much as Stoneking gives back to Civitan itself and to the sports programs, he's as devoted to Civitan's far-reaching charitable goals.
Between the work of 65 male members and 30 participating women, Civitans have raised funds and donated more than $20,000 to Johnston County Special Olympics, the Boys and Girls Home, the Boy Scouts, the Clayton Woman's Club fundraisers, and scholarships for Clayton High School students.
Just this past Christmas, Clayton Civitan donated a few thousand dollars to the Woman's Club to help it buy Christmas gifts for under-privileged children in Clayton-area schools.
"It's amazing how many local charities have been affected by the Clayton Civitan," Stoneking said.
While giving to charities is a priority, the Civitan sports themselves are there for any child, regardless of socioeconomic status, to participate in.
"It is great seeing how kids went through the program, and are now members/coaches themselves," Stoneking said, "giving back to the program which has supported Clayton for over 52 years."
