- April 26, 2024
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Ormond Beach resident Charlene Greer tells people she has a full-time volunteering job.
For the last nine years, Greer has donated her time and efforts to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler, and for the past two years, has served on its board of directors. Working with children has been a calling of hers, she said, and investing in their futures is more rewarding than any sum of money.
“I always say that my payment far outlasts a paycheck," Greer said. "Paychecks come and go but my payment is eternal and lasting.”
Greer is one of four finalists for the NASCAR Foundation's 10th-annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian award, as announced in a press release on Oct. 13. The award, named in honor of the foundation's founder and chair, is presented every year to a NASCAR fan who has done exceptional volunteer work on behalf of local children, according to the press release. To date, 36 finalists have been recognized with $1,575,000 for the causes they represent.
From now until noon on Nov. 4, the community wis able to vote for the finalist of their choice to receive the award by visiting NASCARfoundation.org/Award. Each finalist is guaranteed a minimum donation of $25,000 from the NASCAR Foundation, but the overall winner will receive $100,000 for their cause.
“These finalists are incorporating NASCAR and the excitement of the sport into the important work they do – enriching children’s lives," said Mike Helton, The NASCAR Foundation chairman, in the press release. "Each one of them is exceptional and I think our fans will have a tough choice voting for just one.”
Greer grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Each year on Labor Day, she and her family spent the day at the Darlington Raceway, and since her brothers participated in motorsports, she recalled they spent a lot of time at racing events.
Every Sunday, after they came home from church, her family would turn their TV on. They'd eat fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes while watching NASCAR.
“That was a very real lifestyle," Greer recalled. "That’s how I was brought up.”
NASCAR continued to play a big role in her life. Her first date with her husband took place at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.
In 2008, she and her husband moved to Ormond Beach. Four years later, once her twin boys had graduated high school, she got involved with both the Boys and Girls Club after getting connected while volunteering for the annual Jeep Beach event.
A former teacher, working with children was a natural fit for Greer. Not every child is given the same opportunities, she said, and lending them a helping hand and encouragement is important.
“They need to know that they are important and that they are worthy of the time and the talents and the gifts that we invest into these kids," she said.
With the Boys and Girls Clubs, Greer helps to organize and fund its annual Honor Roll Banquet, an opportunity to help recognize the kids that are acing their classes at school. This helps encourage them to keep up their studies, Greer said.
Hearing her name mentioned in the same sentence as Betty Jane France's is an honor, Greer said. The Ormond Beach resident added that it's also overwhelming since there are many people doing good deeds in the community.
She's nominated alongside a Tennessee man advocating for an organization that provides free running and sports prosthetics to lower-limb amputees; a Georgia man who represents a volunteer pilot organization for children and adults needing transportation for medical care; and a Virginia man who represents a foundation that builds playsets for children battling pediatric cancer.
“In this day and age, it’s sad that that’s overshadowed by so much going on in the world, but to be one of four people chosen to represent the good that is still happening is beyond words and extremely humbling," Greer said. "It’s an honor just to be mentioned.”
Greer, who also played a pivotal role in creating a nonprofit entity for the Jeep Beach event, feels it's important to give back to the community we live in.
“One day this community is going to take care of me, so it’s my responsibility to take care of the community," she said.
