Retired teacher Shirley Christopher is a masterclass in philanthropy.

Giving back is second nature for the 81-year-old Devonshire resident, who spends her time helping out in the community through a variety of projects.

These include getting young children interested in reading, entertaining seniors, feeding the Island’s hungry, knitting for hospital patients and helping out in her church.

“I never think about it, I just go ahead and do what I have to do,” Ms Christopher said.

“If someone needs something, I am right there. I guess it gives me a sense of helping others. My philosophy in life is others, so I’m helping others.

“It makes me feel as if I am doing something, rather than just sitting at home complaining.”

The grandmother-of-three has always been passionate about helping out in her church — St John’s Anglican Church.

She drops in several times a week to sign payroll cheques, help arrange the altar flowers and work in the thrift store.

Ms Christopher also belongs to the church’s sewing guild and she, along with the other volunteers, knit and sew for patients at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

“I knit bootees, blankets, hats and mitts for the children’s and maternity ward. The others sew nightgowns, pyjamas, and bibs for the babies.”

The handmade treasures are assembled in Christmas baskets and dropped off in December.

Ms Christopher, who was a teacher for 48 years, also regularly attends Purvis Primary to read to the children and do activities with them.

“The reason I do that is because, when the children got to me in year six and seven, they did not know the children’s classics, they did not read. So I’m in with year one now, getting the children interested in reading, letting them know that they can travel the world through the pages of a book,” Ms Christopher said.

Ms Christopher started teaching Sunday school when she was a teenager, and decided to go into teaching full time.

“I went away to university, got my degree and came back and was posted at Central, now Victor Scott Primary,” said Ms Christopher.

But she spent most of her time at Purvis Primary.

“I loved the children. Most of my teaching was done with the year six and seven, but I have done from the infants up.”

But Ms Christopher also dedicates her time to helping children outside of school by throwing an annual dinner theatre.

“I’m trying to reach the young boys because of all this nonsense that teenagers and young people are getting into, all the trouble,” she said.

“I raise money to help send them to summer camp by doing a dinner theatre. I write the plays and the guild will come up with the dinner.”

Ms Christopher also attends Westmeath Residential and Nursing Care Home, where she and other volunteers sing, pray and read scriptures to the seniors once a week. And once a month, the grandmother-of-three, who attends line dancing classes twice a week at the Pembroke Community Club, performs with the other dancers at the home.

Ms Christopher also helps out with the Salvation Army soup run, feeding the hungry throughout Hamilton.

“We go in and make sandwiches — the cook at the Salvation Army has soup already ready-made.”

The volunteers then head out and hand out the food to the hungry.

“I know that for tonight they are fed, they are going to be full, they are not going to sleep hungry,” Ms Christopher said. These are only a few of the projects Ms Christopher dedicates her time to, never seeking any praise or recognition and never uttering a word of complaint.

“I just do things without even thinking about it. I get a call, ‘Shirley will you do this?’. ‘OK, I’ll be right there’.”

Ms Christopher will help wherever she can and credits her giving nature to Dorothee Sampson, who used to run a choir that Ms Christopher was a member of when she was a young girl.

“She would take her granddaughter and myself out with her to church at night, so I think my ‘others’ dates back to Dorothee Sampson.”

.• Do you know an Unsung Hero who deserves recognition? Call Lisa on 278-0137 or e-mail lsimpson@royalgazette.com