On June 3, 2008, Miss Edith Harvey received the Daily Point of Light award at the 2008 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Atlanta. The award ceremony was the conclusion to a three-day conference. Miss Edith, as she is fondly referred to, received this award due to the goodness of her heart. She fulfills a community need and serves those who are disconnected from the larger community – seniors. She has been volunteering at the Lawrenceville Senior Center since 1978 by preparing meals for the seniors. Miss Edith simply states, “When you volunteer, you think about others needing help and forget about yourself. By helping others, you are helping yourself.”
Just her presence is quite humbling. To see someone give of herself selflessly, after raising 19 children, 11 of her own, six stepchildren, two foster children, and surviving two marriages during her lifetime. Somehow, she has found time to help prepare meals, rock babies to sleep at Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth, serve on the choir at New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and mentor inmates assigned to work in the kitchen at the Lawrenceville Senior Center.
Her tireless and countless hours of volunteering have also been recognized by other organizations, including the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, the Met Life Foundation, 11 Alive, Bank of America, Hands on Georgia and 100 Black Women. At 94 years old, she is absolutely astounding and a true inspiration. Her advice to all, “Do the best, when you can, even if it’s for an hour and mean it from the heart.”
To find out about volunteer opportunities, log on to www.gwinnettseniorservices or call Gary Galloway, Volunteer Coordinator of Gwinnett County Senior Services at 770.822.8837.
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