YWCA Women of Achievement

The YWCA honored their 2002 Women of Achievement on Thursday, September 19, 2002. Babs Babin of Brusly was nominated for this year’s award. Mr. William R. Holman, President & CEO of General Health System, made the announcement. His presentation is as follows:

“Our next award recipient of the YWCA Women of Achievement honor is in the category of Corporate, 500 or More Employees. We should have called this one the bulldozer award because when tonight’s honoree starts a project, you better move out of her way.

At the beginning of our recipient’s career, she was a secretary. This was the 70’s when we used the term “secretary,” not administrative assistant. She was working for what is now the largest petrochemical company in our state, the Dow Chemical Company. She’s still there today, but she’s not a secretary anymore.

Throughout her career, as she progressed from secretary to specialist to manager to senior manager, our recipient was in constant motion working with civic groups and community organizations in the area. Some of the projects were work-related and some were personal, and soon they began to blend together, making her a 24-hour-a-day, seven day a week community relations force. The beneficiaries of her outreach work were many…Dow certainly benefited, as did West Baton Rouge Parish. But there was something larger at work here. This woman’s commitment to her job extended way beyond the call of duty. Maybe it was because she was born and raised in the area. Whatever it was, it was clearly a labor of love…love for her community and the people who live there.

Today, she’s the Senior Community Relations Manager overseeing a 1.3 million dollar budget and 600 employee volunteers. The work of her project teams of Dow employees and community members have resulted in a 78% favorability rating in the community.

The list of community service projects she implements for Dow spans pages. Projects like Come Back Kids and Back to School with 100 Black Men impact hundreds of children in West Baton Rouge parish. Projects like Workforce Development and the Health Initiative require that various agencies from different parishes, in both the public and private sector, link together for a common goal. It takes a special person to handle that type of coordination. A bulldozer works nicely, too.

But there’s no greater example for her devotion to her community than her work on the Brusly Centennial. She spent seven years coordinating the event and volunteered her services in nearly every capacity. She wore at least a dozen hats including event coordinator, fundraiser, publisher and even tour guide. With 10,000 visitors logged, the Brusly Centennial is touted as a success not only for West Baton Rouge parish but for Louisiana, as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, please step to the side. A bulldozer is coming through. Please welcome the judges’ choice in the category of Corporate, 500 or more employees, Babs Babin.”

CONGRATULATIONS TO BABS ON THIS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT!!!!