‘It takes a village’

Hall of fame inductions usually conjure up images of famous athletes or musicians, but there are also halls that feature unsung heroes like Jim and Rhonda Giles.

The Creston couple will be inducted into the Creston Community High School Hall of Fame as distinguished contributors in a ceremony to be held 7 p.m. Thursday at CCHS.

For Jim and Rhonda, the nomination was very unexpected.

“When we got the letter I cried,” said Rhonda.

“She did,” Jim chuckled.

“”We don’t do anything so that people can say ‘nice job.’ That’s not our goal,” she said.

Jim said he feels very honored and humbled.

Jim and Rhonda are well known in the Creston Community School District as lifetime volunteers. Rhonda, who worked as a lunch lady for 15 years until her retirement in 2011, said the pair have volunteered in the district schools since their children – Michael Giles and Wendy (Giles) Jamison – were students at Jefferson School in Creston.

“There was always something to help the kids with,” said Rhonda.

Their experience in the school ranged from activities with PTO to working in the kitchen and library.

“It was really neat, because we got to see the kids grow up,” said Jim.

Jim, who retired in 2009 as a driver for UPS after 37 years, said that he was fortunate because working nights allowed him to spend his days at the school.

Jim and Rhonda are recognized for their commitment to CHS because of their relentless dedication to the school and the students, despite their children having long moved on from high school.

“We love working with kids,” said Rhonda.

And, it shows.

The couple serve the school district and its students in a number of ways. They volunteer as chaperones for band and zoo trips, speech competitions, math contests and at prom. They served as booster club band reps for four years. While they enjoy experiencing adventures with the students, it’s the one-on-one mentoring they do with the students they feel is most important.

“Most of the kids we mentor are kids who need a stable person in their life,” said Rhonda.

Rhonda described two girls she mentored. One never knew if she’d be going home to a house, apartment or would be sleeping in a car. The other felt unloved by her mother. Both just needed someone to be a constant source of support.

“They just needed to vent and to figure out that they are special,” said Rhonda. “And, they need someone who is going to show up when they say they are going to show up. They need that stability in their life. Sometimes it’s frustrating because it’s going nowhere with them, but sometimes it’s so rewarding”

As a mentor, Jim said it’s a powerful way to make a difference. As one of his mentees showed success and growth, the child’s family took notice.

“The grandparents told him many times, ‘If it hadn’t been for you, he wouldn’t have learned to read,’” Rhonda said of Jim’s mentoring experience.

Rhonda and Jim are very dedicated to improving literacy and the overall success of area students, not only as mentors in the school, but as volunteers in the READS program, where they meet with their first grade reading buddy to support their learning efforts.

Chris Mansour, READS program coordinator, said Jim and Rhonda are great volunteers.

“They are dedicated, long-term volunteers,” said Mansour. “They are always reliable and really good with the kids. Their reading buddies know that they can count on them each week.”

Mansour said, aside from building literacy, she enjoys seeing the smile on the children’s faces as Rhonda and Jim read with their buddies.

“They have a genuine and caring friendship with their reading buddies,” said Mansour.

In the community

You don’t need to be active on campus to know their faces. You may recognize tJim and Rhonda from the food pantry, scouts, sporting events, from the library, at Greater Regional Medical Center, where they are front desk volunteers, or from activities at First Christian Church Disciples of Christ, where they worship.

Jordan Crawford, GRMC volunteer coordinator, said the Giles are an invaluable resource for the community and patients have expressed the same sentiments.

“They are very great at assisting with patients and helping them get to where they need to go,” said Crawford. “What can I say about them? They do so much?”

Jim said he enjoys helping so many people at GRMC and that he feels it’s an easy way to turn around or brighten someone’s day.

“If they are here it’s probably not the best day. They are coming here to the hospital because they are sick and you try to make it as easy as possible for them,” said Jim.

Jim said he is always impressed by the patients he meets at GRMC and the attitude they have despite what they are going through.

“You really do help a lot of people out here,” said Rhonda. “People who are frustrated and who don’t know where they are going.”

Rhonda said she feels good knowing that she can provide comfort in times of need and described a time she sat in the waiting room with someone while their family member was being stabilized in the ER.

“We were fortunate enough that we were at the other desk and were able to just sit with them and talk, and got as much information as we could for them,” said Rhonda. “It was good because they knew they had someone there that they could talk to and try to talk them down, so they aren’t going to have a heart attack while they are waiting for their loved one.”

Providing comfort is something that extends beyond the hospital doors for Jim and Rhonda.

“They volunteer a lot in the community I know, but they do an awful lot in the church,” said Pastor Tony Thurston.

After Thurston moved to the area in 2015, he said the couple was one of the first families to greet him.

“They are almost like assistant pastors in this congregation,” said Thurston. “They have taken such a love and care for that church and the building and the people in that building, it’s really just a good experience to know that there are people who care so much about church and church people.”

At their church, the pair leads the diaconate and praise and worship teams. They also chair the memorial committee and host a car show in the spring. However, a supply drive they started for area schools is something they feel they have received overwhelming support from their church family.

“We started a thing called keeping them covered and it went over so well at our church,” said Rhonda.

Rhonda said they run a clothesline down the parish hallway and members of the church clip items such as underwear, socks, sweat pants, leggings and sweatshirts to the line.

“It’s a very long hallway,” said Jim.

Rhonda said after the school expressed a need for a snack budget, she pleaded with her congregation, which donated nearly $400 in gift cards by pinning them to the clothesline.

“There are so many kids who miss breakfast or we know aren’t going to get anything to eat when they get home, they are not being fed and they aren’t thriving,” said Rhonda.

Jim and Rhonda, who started volunteering as children, said it’s just part of their lifestyle.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” said Jim.

“All honor and glory go to those who set it up to start with,” said Rhonda. “The rest of us are just helping out and doing what we can when we can.”