Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Eleanor Shell. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Eleanor Shell, a 49-year-old ordained Presbyterian minister and mother of three, is intimately familiar with having a moment that changes everything. For two years, Eleanor has been recovering from a life-altering traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car. She’s in the midst of what she calls “the long middle,” the period of time after a crisis where things are still difficult without the expectation of improvement in the near future when life has moved on around you. It could be months. Or years. You’re often left overwhelmed and isolated.
This year, despite her own challenges and leaning on her instinct to help others, Eleanor founded the Borrowed Hope Foundation to support other families facing prolonged hardship after a life-changing medical, financial, or personal emergency. She creates experiences to lift their spirits and give them hope, reminding people that their community hasn’t left them behind. And, of course, she provides practical support.
To date, 35 families have been on the receiving end of Summer Fun Baskets and, if all goes as planned, 100 will be part of her Hope for the Holidays effort that will bring together local businesses, volunteers, artists, and donors to build moments of joy and connection.
Today, Eleanor estimates she’s functioning at about 60-70% of what she once was–she needs naps and time in a dark, quiet room–but she remains hopeful she will continue to improve in the years to come.
What inspires you to volunteer?
When you’re part of a community, it’s your responsibility to help make it better. I’ve always been involved; it fuels me. And serving others is a big part of my faith. I love people, and I’ve been lucky to always feel love and know love. I want others to have that.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
As a society, we’re pretty good in a crisis. What we’re not great at is later on. A couple from a church I’ve preached in is an exception. They continue to show up in big and small ways. Whether it’s a greeting card saying, “We still see you. You still matter,” or a grocery gift card, they’ve had hope for me when I haven’t had it myself.
Near the second anniversary of my accident, I was hitting a wall in my recovery. I’ve always believed that helping is healing, so a friend suggested we do something for other families in the long middle. We put together Summer Fun Baskets, and when a local with a newsletter wrote a story about us, the community showed up in big ways. What I thought was going to be a little project with friends ended up raising $18,000 in a week.
Nominated families have ranged from a family with two kids whose mom died unexpectedly, to someone coming out of a battle with cancer, processing the consequences. We focus on providing moments of joy and respite, because when you hit a crisis, your world slows or stops, but your children keep growing. There’s only one seventh birthday and only so many Christmases they still believe in Santa. If you’re not able to capitalize on those moments, they’re gone. I want people to have those memories instead of just remembering things that have been taken from them.
We provide everything from a gas card to get to the experience to snacks over Christmas break. We can’t make their problems go away, but we can give them moments to remember who they are.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
I do outreach to educate the community about the long middle and how to support people in it. I identify and connect with families, coordinate volunteers and community partners, fundraise and seek sponsors.
We recently launched our Hope for the Holiday campaign to provide things like a night at the movies or a visit to the Polar Express. We’re also working with summer day camps to make one or two spots available to our families in May, because planning ahead isn’t always practical when you’re in the middle of a crisis.
In February and March, we’re providing respite nights for grown-ups. For couples, that might be a date night. And we’re sending the gentleman whose wife passed away to Top Golf with a friend and providing childcare.
I also organize pop-up community art projects. In May, we’ll auction the art for Mental Health Awareness Month to show the role community and art can play in mental health.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
It’s hearing how these simple things impact people’s ability to take the next step forward. One of the most surprising and meaningful things is when I send someone a gift card for ice cream or dinner with a letter that says, “We had a day that changed everything, and we’re still in the thick of it. We want you to know that someone in your community knows you are, too.” The response is often greater than when we give away bigger things.
Everyone needs love and compassion. We delivered one Summer Fun Basket to a high-income neighborhood, and the woman broke down in tears. Did she need snacks for her kids? Maybe not. But she needed to know she wasn’t forgotten because she isn’t able to participate in life as she had a year ago.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Community matters. And nothing will replace in-person connection and how that makes people feel. It just takes one person being vulnerable for others to do the same. Sharing stories helps people know they’re not alone.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
No matter how hopeless things are, there’s somebody who cares about you. And there’s something you can give. If we all do what we can on any given day, the growth of kindness, joy, and community will be exponential.
Life will never be the same for me, but I’m going to use whatever I have to continue to be what I was called to be.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Eleanor? Find local volunteer opportunities.