L – R: Carolyn Schomer, Houston Peach Branch AAUW; Ronnie Shivers, Current President Family Promise; Nicole Rosser, Director of Family Promise; Roger Boan; Shirley Boan

Shirley Boan, Family Promise of Greater Houston County board member, was presented with the Eleanor Granum Award—2013 by the Houston Peach Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) at their May meeting. Each year the Houston Peach Branch, which has been serving Middle Georgia since 1962, solicits nominees for the Eleanor Granum Award. This recognition, named in honor of the founding president of the branch, honors an individual who has shared their time, energy, talent, and knowledge through volunteer service in the local community.

Shirley’s nomination, presented by Ronnie Shivers, FPGHC President, gives us some insight into Shirley’s passion to serve others. “Shirley had been a part of the national organization, Interfaith Hospitality Network (now Family Promise) while living in Dayton, Ohio. In 2011 she read an article about 311 homeless children in the Houston County school system and felt “the nudge” to try to do something about this alarming fact. She began by approaching her Pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church about her idea. He endorsed her dream as she made a presentation of the program to their church leaders, asking them to support her efforts to investigate whether such a network would be workable in Houston County. She gathered a small core group and invited every church in the area to an informational meeting. From that meeting a larger group became committed to the dream and an inter-denominational organization developed.

As the core group leader and interim-board president, Shirley led the group through the 501c3 status process, fund raising, obtained the donation of a 15 passenger van, the loan of a truck on Sundays to move beds and belongings, the opening of the Day Center—renovated by First Methodist Church, the hiring of the Network Director, and the development of the first official Board of Directors. Since May 26, host churches have been caring for homeless children and their families and support churches have joined the network to assist in various ways.

While Family Promise has been the focus of Shirley’s energy the past two years, it is not the sum of her volunteer efforts. She continued to cook and serve at Trinity’s Emmaus Table on Thursday evenings; she managed the church’s Agape Fund to arrange for food, medication, gas, housing, or other needs brought to the church; she organized Goodwill collection efforts in order to obtain clothing certificates to share with guests at the food pantry or Emmaus Table; as a part of the puppet ministry, she participated in puppet shows at the Trinity pre-school and at Cherished Children Education Center; and she drove the church van for mission trips, senior adult and youth outings. In addition to being a supportive wife, mother, and grandmother she serves as the ‘personal chauffer’ for a disabled lady at Memorial Terrace who has no family.

Shirley does indeed exemplify the giving, other-centered, volunteer character set forth by the Houston Peach Branch’s founding President, Eleanor Granum. It is an honor to add her to the list of recipients of this award.