From The Island Packet:
Nancy Diamond ended up wearing a T-shirt over her trademark teddy bear smock at the Children's Center that day. "The Daisy Class Loves You," the shirt read. The Daisy Class consists of about a dozen 2-year-olds. Her knees got hugs from each of them.
Diamond was named volunteer of the year late last month at the Children's Center, the nonprofit day care center in Hilton Head, South Carolina. A ceremony full of hugs, tears and songs marked the occasion. Diamond never had children, so when she got the usual question, "How many children do you have" she'd respond with a flip reply, like "two cats." But since starting at the Children's Center more than a year ago, she answers the question differently. "Oh, I've got 14 kids. They're all 2- and 3-year-olds."
To the kids, she's "Ms. Diamond." To Ms. Diamond, the kids are "my little cherubs." She's only there for two hours each Monday, but there's plenty to do. She puts together puzzles and bandages boo-boos. She's the customer at McDonald's, where pine needles serve as French fries and dollar bills come in leaf form. She buys construction paper, glue and tape when the classrooms run out. At Christmas, she bought 40 teddy bears for the kids.
More than anything else, she brings energy, staff members say, and a willingness to get face-to-face with the children. That smock isn't the most fashionable garment, but you can't worry about fashion when you're pinkie-deep in finger paint. "She's full of energy," said Lillian Mitchell, who's in charge of the center's community outreach program. "Each time she comes in, she's excited. The children are her priority."
Diamond and her husband, John, traveled the world before finally settling on Hilton Head Island. They had visited the island when they lived in Brazil. After John retired in Australia, they came back to Hilton Head permanently.
A Children's Center board member had brought Diamond and her husband in to tour the facility in hopes of a donation. Diamond went a step further and decided to volunteer. It's a decision that's meant more to her than just writing a check. The day she was honored as volunteer of the year at the center, she went home with an armful of finger paint masterpieces and construction paper collages in her honor, some too big to hang on her refrigerator.
"You just hope to make a difference," she said.
Nancy Diamond is a true example of being the difference! Do you know someone who is being the difference in your community? Tell me about them and they may be featured on this blog.
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