“When parents come to me and tell me their kids had a blast and says it’s ‘the best day ever,’ that makes my heart happy. That makes it all worth it.”

 

Mary Beth Sallee

Reporter, Hart Co. News-Herald

 

It is often said that it takes a special type of person to do for others without expecting anything in return.

Perhaps Elizabeth Gipson is that someone special.

Elizabeth is a member of the Bonnieville Volunteer Fire Department. When she’s not serving the community under this capacity, she is also serving the community with fundraisers and family events.

Elizabeth plans all of the community Crusade for Children events locally. She has also organized events for children of Hart County, including Cookies with Santa, a Daddy/Daughter Dance, and a Mommy/Son Dance and dedicates countless hours to planning, organizing, promoting, and hosting such events. Although volunteering and giving back to the community is not always easy, Elizabeth said it is always worth it.

“I enjoy planning these events and where the money is going is a phenomenal thing, but what makes every event worth all the planning and stressing is seeing the smiles on all the kid’s faces,” Elizabeth said. “I love giving children the opportunity to do fun things that our small community may not typically offer.”

“When parents come to me and tell me their kids had a blast and says it’s ‘the best day ever,’ that makes my heart happy,” she added. “That makes it all worth it.”

Because of her commitment to making Hart County a better place for children and families, Elizabeth has been selected as the Hart County News-Herald’s Hometown Hero for the month of June. She was nominated by Tiffany Zajak.

“Elizabeth is an amazing person. She cares so much about others and would help anyone out in a heartbeat if they needed it,” Tiffany wrote in her nomination. “Elizabeth spends countless hours outside of her full-time job with the Bonnieville Volunteer Fire Department following in her dad’s footsteps. She dedicates most of her time planning events to raise money for the WHAS Crusade for Children, an organization that collects and donates 100% of their proceeds to agencies, schools, and hospitals to better the lives of special needs children. Over the past few years, Elizabeth has worked to plan new events such as Cookies with Santa, the Bonnieville Crusade 4th of July pageant, Bikes for Babies, Daddy/Daughter and Mother/Son dances, a quilt raffle, and new this year (will be) a fall festival, which will offer a car show and activities for the whole family.”

“Not only is raising money for the Crusade important for Elizabeth, she also cares about the people in our community,” Tiffany continued. “While these events are for a great cause, they also provide a great opportunity for families to get out and be a part of the community – at an affordable price, too! Just in the last year, Bonnieville Volunteer Fire Department raised $16,301.24. Of that amount, $5,413 was solely from the events Elizabeth organized! Elizabeth is such a caring individual with a huge heart, and she deserves all this recognition and so much more! Of course, none of these events would have been possible if it were not for all of the amazing sponsors, attendees, volunteers, and other fire department members, so special thanks to anyone and everyone who played a part in this! Our community should be so thankful to have such a great person like Elizabeth to go out of her way and volunteer her time for such a great cause.”

For Elizabeth, being selected as a Hometown Hero is humbling.

“I think it’s honestly the sweetest thing ever,” Elizabeth said. “I hope I am making a difference in our little community and allowing children to experience things I wish I had available to me when I was younger.”

Elizabeth, along with other volunteers, have additional events planned.

– July 1: Third Annual Bonnieville 4th of July Crusade for Children Pageant.

– August 13: Second Annual Bikes for Babies benefit ride.

– October 8: Bonnieville Crusade for Children Fall Festival and Car Show.

– December: Cookies with Santa (date has yet to be set).

On behalf of Jobe Publishing, Inc., the Hart County News-Herald is thankful to have someone like Elizabeth Gipson serving our community and local families. Congratulations, Elizabeth, on being named a Hometown Hero!