After 25 years of serving Guinea neighbors as a technology assistant at Achilles Elementary and as a community volunteer, and with a lifetime on the water, Shirley West Hogge was named the 2024 Guinea Jubilee grand marshal at Guinea Heritage Day, which was held Sunday afternoon at the Abingdon Ruritan Club in Bena.
“Our 2024 grand marshal has literally been giving to the Guinea community, primarily through the children and their parents, since 1998,” said Hamilton Williams of the Guinea Heritage Association.
Hogge established a clothes closet at Achilles Elementary School with Martha Wiggs over two decades ago to furnish coats, shoes, socks, underwear and other clothing items for children in need.
“On special occasions party dresses or dress clothes were bought for the children,” said Williams. “Electricity bills were sometimes brought up to date and food was stocked in the parents’ refrigerators—all in caring for the children.”
Hogge also coordinated angel trees with local churches to...