A woman called “Mammy” by her family is the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor’s Lifetime Service Award recipient for 2018. Sarah Giles is the 59th recipient. Each spring, a person who has demonstrated outstanding community service is recognized in a ceremony the same week Patriots Day is celebrated.

Giles received the award April 19 in a surprise ceremony at the Rotary’s clubhouse. The Rotary lured Giles there by telling her that her fellow Rebuilding Together volunteer Sally Barter was receiving a legislative sentiment. Giles arrived at 6:30 p.m. and found a clubhouse full of Rotary members, friends and family.

“I had some remarks prepared congratulating Sally for getting a legislative sentiment, but this is quite a surprise,” Giles said. “I guess all I can say is thank you, and I’m honored. And there are some Rebuilding Together volunteer applications in the back.”

The presentation ceremony was conducted by LSA committee members Kevin Burnham and Brenda Blackman. They read testimonials collected from Giles’ longtime friends and co-workers.

Giles began volunteering in 1991 by delivering Meals on Wheels. In 2002, Giles, Chip Griffin, Joyce Armendaris and Neil Lane were the driving force behind creating a local Rebuilding Together chapter. Rebuilding Together is a nationwide project where volunteers work on homes selected for refurbishing. The one-day event takes several months of planning and organization, according to the Rebuilding Together website.

Armendaris first met Giles at a local quilting class. Armendaris had recently moved to Boothbay Harbor and Giles assisted in finding her a part-time job. Armendaris couldn’t attend the ceremony, but she sent written remarks honoring her friend. “Sarah is one of the greatest persons I’ve ever met and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the award,” Armendaris said.

Giles has also devoted herself to other  peninsula non-profit causes. She is the secretary for both East Boothbay United Methodist Church and Boothbay Region Historical Society, and the driving force behind the St. Andrews Free Bed Fund which assists patients in paying their hospital bills.

“Her title may be treasurer, but Sarah really does everything for the organization,” said St. Andrews Free Bed Fund President Tom Perkins in his testimonial. “She organizes our meetings and keeps meticulous records, gathers and processes applications, and prints, stuffs and mails fundraising letters."

Giles was also celebrated for her bright, pleasant, optimistic attitude which dates back to her childhood days in East Boothbay. The award presentation was filled with accounts of Giles’ upbeat spirit. From 1991 to 2013, Giles worked as a receptionist at Griffin Law Offices in Boothbay Harbor. Chip Griffin submitted a written account describing her as someone who “radiates positive energy."

“Many smile even when they evoke her name,” wrote Griffin. “Sarah is truly someone else.”

Giles received another recognition for her many years of community service. Her daughter, State Representative Stephanie Hawke, presented her with a legislative sentiment. Hawke also thanked her mother for being a major force in the lives of her family. Hawke called her mother “the glue that sticks the family together.”

Giles, 73, has three children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild born last week. Her granddaughter Stephanie Leeman said, “I speak for all her grandchildren when I say you inspire us, and, you deserve this.”

Giles works in the business office at Hawke Motors.