One of the creative forces behind the Extraordinary Charities Nonprofit Center is also someone with a quick smile and a
sense of humor that livens up every conversation. She’s our Volunteer of the Year – Sheila Gustafson.
Sheila, who has been involved with Extraordinary Charities since its inception in 2013, has been especially active since we opened the doors of our Center in 2019. She helped design and sew many of the face masks and aprons at Extraordinary Charities over the past year and a half. And she was an important part of our Christmas toy giveaway in 2020, in addition to participating in many other projects we’re involved with each year.
Visitors to the Center are often charmed by her British accent. She was born in Nelson, England, a picturesque town north of Manchester, where she was married and had a son, Jeremy. She emigrated to New York in 1973, working as a nanny.
Seeking a new life after a divorce, Sheila moved to North Miami Beach where she worked as a travel agent. She met Bob when she asked him to do some work on her apartment, and they were married in 1989. They bought their first house in Hollywood later moved to Lake Worth, and finally in 1999 relocated to Boynton Beach, where she was a partner in a flower shop.
Sheila, inspired by a friend who was an elementary school librarian, became a media clerk at Hidden Oaks Elementary in Lake Worth. She spent nine years on the job and is now retired, enjoying time with her grandkids, Stella and Harper. She also enjoys sewing, cooking, reading, and yoga.
Doing good work runs in the family, by the way — Bob is the Facilities Manager for Extraordinary Charities (among about a hundred other hats he wears).
When you meet Sheila, the first thing you notice is the way she makes you feel. She always brings positive energy to the Center and brightens up everybody’s day. The other thing you learn is that Sheila is an exceptionally hard worker, and totally dedicated to serving the community. The entire Extraordinary Charities team is fortunate – and grateful – to have her.
Congratulations, Sheila, on being named our Volunteer of the Year.