Wheaton chamber honors those who make a difference
The conditions in a Ugandan hospital during audiologist Sherri Billing’s 2008 visit left her wishing she could do more.
She watched as families clung to all their belongings while waiting for help in a building that had no doors and sat in an unsheltered area.
Patients and the doctors who served them were lucky to even have electricity. Half the people there had to make do without beds or blankets.
It was the kind of experience that makes you do a lot of thinking.
“It was probably the first time I have ever felt that a picture was not worth 1,000 words,” Billing said. “It’s hard to go through that and not have your whole life change.”
Billing was there to help deliver containers that included medical equipment, textbooks, shoes and microscopes, along with many other supplies that would eventually help more than 19,000 people.
She took part in the medical mission through her participation in Wheaton College’s Rotary Club, and her continued contributions have earned her a nomination for Citizen of the Year in the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Gamon Awards.
The winners in that, and several other business-oriented categories, will be announced at a ceremony that starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle.
The other nominees are DuPage County Treasurer Gwen Henry, LPL Financial’s Lori Miller, Laso Corporation’s Laurie Oberhelman and Wheaton Grand Theater advocates Ray and Nanette Shepardson.
For Billing, the philanthropic efforts go beyond helping those in other countries. She and her twin 12-year-old daughters often can be seen cleaning area parks.
She also volunteers at the Humanitarian Service Project, a Carol Stream-based group.
“There are so many lives that I get the opportunity to touch,” she said. “I am blessed with many, many things and it’s great to be able to give back to those who are not as fortunate.”
Billing has worked as a doctor helping people with their hearing since 1989. She volunteers about seven hours a week. In fact, she said she will be taking her second trip with the Rotary Club March 5 when she will head to Dominican Republic.
She learned about the group through a patient and became involved about seven years ago.
“I think the world would be a very different place if everybody would be willing to give up a little bit of time and money,” she said. “It’s like everything in life: I give a lot and I get far more back.”
If you go
If you go
What: Wheaton Chamber of Commerces 3rd Annual Gamon Awards ceremony
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle
Info: For more information, call the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce at (630)668-6464