Mike Waranin | View of the Woman of the Year necklace of the Republic.
A local leader with a long history of community services was honored as the Republic Women of the Year at the Commons on Thursday night.
Lisa Shafran, a former president of the local Turning Point Domestic Violence Service, was honored at the 40th Annual Awards Ceremony sponsored by the Republic.
Each year, the Woman of the Year Award recognizes a woman in Bartholomew County for her selflessness and dedication to making the community a better place.
“There is a strong and successful woman behind every successful man,” said Bad Hunt, a publisher in the Republic, when the event began. “I think the women in our community are lucky to find themselves strong and successful and guide us.”
The 2020 Woman of the Year Kathleen “Kitty” Corriden was part of this year’s ceremony and presented Shafran with a traditional “Woman of the Year” necklace. The award also includes a $ 2,000 donation to a charity chosen by the winner. Shafran must have made a joke about “a tremendous shock,” but she chose to donate to Turning Point.
During her speech to the crowd, Shafran thanked her family, friends, colleagues and mentors for touching her life. She mentioned her maxim about how people’s influence on each other is like ripples in water, continuing outwards and touching others.
“I think one of the greatest gifts from life’s experience is the people along the way,” she said. “You never know when and how they affect your life.”
Shafran graduated from Bethany University with a degree in Communication and Business. After graduating from her college, her first job was at Bloomingdale’s in Dallas. She was invited to a retailer’s executive training program and successfully completed it. Eventually, she moved to another Dallas retailer, Neiman Marcus, who was hired as the HR manager for the company’s largest store at the time.
Shafran and her family moved to Bartholomew County in 1995, when her husband Joe took on a job in North Vernon. She joined the Columbus Service League, an organization founded in 1968 that focused on identifying community needs and working on projects that benefit the population. Shafran’s local involvement included participation to sponsor an annual fundraiser called the “A Taste of Chocolate” dedicated to Turning Point.
She went up the service league and spent the last year as president of the organization. She later played a leading role in the United Way in Bartholomew County, the Women’s Professional Development Council, and the Bartholomew Integrated School’s Continuous Improvement Council.
In 2003, Shafran was selected for the Community Foundation of the Heritage Fund – Bartholomew County. She worked there for 10 years, 6 of which was Vice President of Development.
Then, in 2013, she was elected President of Turningpoint Domestic Violence Services, which serves the counties of Brown, Jackson, Johnson, Shelby and Bartholomew, replacing Patrick Smith.
“My predecessor at Turning Point nine years ago sat me down and told me about his intention to change jobs leaving Turning Point,” Shafran said. “And he thought it would be a great role for me. Flattering, but frankly, he thought he was crazy. It’s the biggest and most in my life. I knew very little that it was a ticket to a challenging opportunity and would fill me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. “
Shafran resigned from that position six months ago, and Whitney Lloyd took up that position.
Republic editor Julie McClure said he praised Richard Gold, one of the many individuals who nominated Shafran, for his honor in preventing him during his tenure at Turning Point.
“The true metric of her time will probably be revealed in the next decade after all young people at the turning point have been instructed or educated to achieve adulthood. It may be domestic violence or. It may constitute the fulfillment of our mission to work towards the prevention and elimination of dating violence, “Gold wrote.
“Not all teenagers have the opportunity to learn about dating and prevention of domestic violence at that age,” McClure said. “Some may believe that it’s what they bring to the world and it’s only for teenage participants, but that they have hundreds or thousands of teenage friends. Think about it. Dance marathon. It’s changing the world. “
To conclude her speech, Shafran encouraged the audience to continue to make ripples and waves in the lives of others.
“People are always asked what their heritage wants to be,” she said. “For me, it’s you. Through the wonderful things I know, you will continue.”
