Posted on November 16, 2020 at 4:15 PM by Denise Cartina
"Sue Shanahan experienced firsthand the value of helping others at a young age. Her mother started the Serendipity Resale Shop, benefitting Little Friends in the early 1970's. Sue helped gather donations and prepare items for sale and loved the feeling of knowing she was helping others, especially children. She wore many hats from 1995-2017 while raising her own children. She was involved as a Religious Education teacher, swim team computer person, Home & School president/VP at her children’s schools, Booster Club Concessions at NNHS, Girl Scout Leader (13 yrs, 5 Gold Award recipients), Boy Scout Leader & Committee Member (13 yrs), and Eagle Scout mentor (over a dozen Eagle Scouts!) Sue is most proud of the GS Gold Award girls and BS Eagle Scouts. Sue is grateful to grow up and raise her children in Naperville. She loves that it is such a family-oriented community and that the parents are so loving and helpful not only to their own kids, but to other children in the community as well. Sue’s advice for the youth is to “Do it. Do it right. Do it right now."
Sue is currently involved in organizing an annual golf outing to raise money for the Oncology Fund at Edwards Hospital, volunteers with Edwards fundraising, and works with Families Helping Families, where she organizes an event to raise about $100,000 each year to pay the rent for ten homeless families that they support and mentor. She is involved with the Naperville Senior Task Force (advocates for seniors), Ride Assist Naperville (provides free rides to medical appointments) and Intentgen Financial Services (also part of Thrivent Advisor Network), where they use available funds to support some of the local 501c3's.
The world is a better place because of Sue’s exceptional leadership skills, mentoring and generosity which are evident throughout her life. It ranges from helping with Home and School, Girls and Boys Scouts, homeless families and senior citizens. Sue appreciates the opportunity to work with numerous people in Naperville and is delighted about how wonderful the people around Naperville can be. She can truly say “I love people!" "
Nominated by Lourdes Chew