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Friday, October 10, 2008 10:41 AM Life of selflessness allows Wilson woman to give freely By Janelle Clevinger | Times Staff Writer In a time when news about the economy, war, crime and politics makes you want to pull the covers over your head and never again get out of bed, you find out that there are people right here in Wilson who devote their entire lives to helping others and wish to do it quietly, actually demanding anonymity. One of those people, Virginia Williams, walked into my office this week. She came to me asking for help in getting the word out for something she's doing this weekend. It's not a yard sale, she said, so she didn't need paid advertising. She's giving items away for people in need. Yes, giving things to those less fortunate. Clothes, furniture, toys, knick-knacks -- no questions asked. Turns out she does this all year long on a smaller basis, working with families who live at levels of poverty that most of us with never see, much less understand. So I did what any practical person would do when confronted with a story like this -- I called the police. "If I publish this story, will it cause a scene? A riot? Will Mrs. Williams be safe," I asked. Our fine police department immediately offered extra officers to keep an eye on Williams and her giveaway event to make sure that she and her volunteers remained safe. "Oh, honey, you call the police back and tell them I'll be just fine," was Williams' response when I told her about my conversation. "God will be there with me." Virginia Williams knows what it's like to be poor. Very poor. "My four young sons and I slept on the floor," she told me. "We were very poor, but we were proud." And then, she says, God sent some people into her lives that would change everything. The late Judge Allen Harrell and his wife, Irene, attended a Sunday school class at First Christian Church here in Wilson back in the early 1960s, and that class decided one Christmas to "adopt" a family and help provide them with some items for a brighter holiday. They adopted Williams and her boys. "My parents went to visit Virginia and her family, and it became apparent that they needed more than just clothes and toys," said Susan Harrell Oates, daughter of Allen and Irene Harrell. "They lived in a house that didn't even have windows. They had cardboard and rags stuffed in the holes where windows should be. "My parents had never seen this type of poverty before, and it floored them," she said. "My parents knew God put them there to help this family." A relationship grew between the Harrells and Williams that would span a lifetime and even generations. "We're family," said Williams of the relationship between her and her boys and the entire Harrell family. "We don't see color. We just see family ... and God." Williams ended up working for the Harrell family for 37 years. She still grieves over the deaths of Irene Harrell, who died in 1992, and Allen Harrell, a district court judge from 1968 to 1992, who passed away in 1998. "They helped bring me out of poverty," Williams said. "I just want to give back." But the relationship was definitely a two-way street. "My mother found in Virginia Williams something she herself didn't have -- a simple faith, an earthy honesty," Oates said. "They complemented each other. My parents loved, treasured and valued Virginia." Williams' youngest son, David Ray Parker, had what both families describe as a father-son relationship with Harrell. David was so inspired by the judge that he went on to medical school and is now a doctor in Fayetteville. He is also a huge help in getting items together for his mother to give away. "When he gets a load of items together for me, I drive down to Fayetteville, put it in my truck and bring it back to Wilson for the people who need it here," Williams said. Williams runs a prayer house and searches for people who need her help. "I take my ministry to the streets. That's how I find people in need," she said. "I just love people. I've been called by God to do this." She recently furnished an entire house for a family who had nothing. She had given a woman a ride home from church and was invited into the house. "I walked into the house and was heartbroken," Williams said. "They had nothing, so I got them the furniture they needed." What I find remarkable about Virginia Williams is her refusal for the need of any type of acknowledgement for what she does. This is pure, selfless love. "I really don't want people to know it's me, honey," she told me. "That's why I have 25 or 30 people who help me deliver these things to families." Well, I apologize to Williams for bringing her story to our readers, but I feel it's one that needs to be known and even emulated. Williams' giveaway event will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at her prayer house located at 406 Parker Lane here in Wilson. Williams and her volunteers will be there helping those who need it. And I have no doubt God will be watching over her, smiling. On the map runs on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. If you have a story that you want to share, e-mail jclevinger@wilsontimes.com or call 265-7811. If you have an event that you would like to enter on our community calendar, go to www.wilsontimes.com and click on the link for submitting information to the calendar. |
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