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Grandmother set the example for dedicated volunteer

Spend two hours at the home of Shawna Levy, and you might be able to learn about all she does outside her home.

Spend two hours at the home of Shawna Levy, and you might be able to learn about all she does outside her home.

“I wish I could take in everyone looking for a place to stay,” she says. “That’s not practical, but that’s what’s in my heart.”

What Levy does instead might also not seem practical, but it’s plenty admirable. Shawna is a one-woman enterprise of community service.

She visits four nursing homes every month to sing to residents.

She makes a monthly visit to a youth detention center.

She organizes and participates in outings and mission trips through her church. These trips have taken her around the world, from Ethiopia to India.

For Levy, all started in Jamaica – with a grandmother who set the example.

“She would always take in kids and adults,” Levy says of her grandmother. “She would cook and make sure everyone had something to eat. It really inspired me to do the same.”

So she does, touching many in the process. Co-worker Joanne Billingsley recalls her surprise when she saw Levy outside the office, singing to Billingsley’s mother.

“Here am I at the nursing home with my mother,” she says. “I said, ‘Mom, look at these wonderful singers,’ and when I looked up, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh; there’s my co-worker, Shawna Levy.’”

This past October, Levy left her home for a different reason – to take a vacation. It was her first in a long time.

If you would like to nominate someone for our 11 Who Care Community Service Awards to recognize the difference they make in the Metro Atlanta community, visit the 11Alive nominate page here.

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