LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Tonight's Jefferson Award winner is someone who feels it is her calling to provide support to people who often don't have anyone else in their life to turn to in difficult times. Jeff Fitzgerald tells us how her nurturing personality makes a difference in the lives of others.
Joyce Buss began volunteering for Heartbeat of Lima after retiring from a decades-long career in nursing. She performs ultrasounds for pregnant women and teaches parenting and financial literacy classes to new mothers. Buss enjoys being able to help young women become better mothers and more stable adults.
"She kept journals, and I mean she has told me it's life-changing, what she learned for that. She was a shopper like most women are, but she really set those goals for herself and it's been life-changing. She's been able to move into a different home," said Joyce Buss, a winner of the 2023 Jefferson Award.
She also teaches the same classes to women at the Worth Center, delivers meals to the homebound through her church, and goes on mission trips with her church to the Appalachian region of Kentucky to help the less fortunate.
"We've done everything, we've replaced flooring, we've added on to houses, we've put in windows. We've actually been to houses that don't have windows," she explained.
Everyone who works with Buss is inspired to do more themselves, and they especially admire how easily she can build a relationship with whoever she meets.
"She likes to help the people that maybe are against the odds and her warm smile and friendliness will connect with those people. She really connects with a person, truly is wanting to be there to help them," said Cindy Fitzgerald, who nominated buss for the 2023 Jefferson Award.
Buss will often provide counseling to the same women for several years. She feels that it is her calling to be the support system for women who otherwise might not have anyone at their side.
"For me, it truly has been a spiritual awakening just to know that you're walking on a journey with someone that really needs your help," Buss says.
That was Joyce Buss, a 2023 Jefferson Award winner.
