Benjamin inducted into Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame
Mary Benjamin, the former chairperson for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Benton County, was honored at the annual Bill Foreman Hall of Fame Banquet held Thursday at 28 Springs.
The banquet was the first to be held since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020, according to Boys & Girls Club CEO Chris Shimer. Benjamin, the 2021 inductee, served as the chairperson for the Boys & Girls Club Board from 2001-02, Benjamin said.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the banquet limited the number of guests to Benjamin’s close friends and family. In attendance were Benjamin’s daughter Laura Benjamin Elliot and sonin-law Chip Elliot and Don and Sherroll Walker.
Also in attendance were Scholarship Director Amber Carter and her husband Jason and Boys and Girls Club Administrative Director Ashley Oosterman and her husband, Matt.
Shimer said recruiting Benjamin for the board helped him turn the beleaguered club around in the early 2000s. Benjamin introduced Shimer to many people who would become major donors for the club, he said.
“I’m just so grateful for everything Mary’s done,” Shimer said. “She gave us credibility. … She is very smart and very wise. We would not be here without her leadership and guidance.”
Former Boys & Girls Club board member Tony Barnes introduced Benjamin and joked about how it took three lunches for Benjamin to convince Barnes to join the board.
Benjamin said she was grateful for the award, saying that she is proud to see how far the club has come from when she first became involved with the club 20 years earlier.
“It’s been so exciting to see the club flourish and continue,” Benjamin said.