Dear Editor:
Thank you for running the Addy Lyon’s award in last week’s paper (“Lyon Named CHABSS Community Champion,” April 30).
We are sending this to you as a proud mother and grandparents but also because of how the Eastern Shore has helped develop a young lady with respect for the land, water, and the ability to demonstrate through her actions what she believes.
Addy lived on the Shore until she was 12 and those years had a big impact on her life. She then moved across the bay so she was here quite often.
From age 4 on, she was a Palace Arts Enter regular and also attended ESO for dance. The Palace Theater was an incredible impact from everyone there. All the people who reach out for the children, from Ms. Vera the seamstress, the ladies and gentlemen that shared their acting skills and the Sheppard family that was the driving force. Taking dance and her favorite, was the Theater. She has been in numerous plays and this helped her develop her love of the arts and the confidence to address groups of people. Painting, arts, T-ball, softball, the Cape Charles Baptist Church activities that welcomed all children and living in a small town, a village that helped raise a little girl. One shopkeeper, Mr. Malcolm, allowed and guided her in selling her little crocheted items. Little lessons that we don’t realize are developing confidence, the ability to try something new, to handle putting yourself out there, instilling learning new things. A little time spent from a kind merchant that made a huge impact.
I am proud of her but also proud of this community and its contribution to raising our youth. I feel this community reflects many of our villages on the Shore. We are hearing so many sad stories of the disregard our youth are showing and now this is a positive story. We are blessed to have our neighbors know our children and this award is an accumulation of all the kindness, caring, interest and a little bit of time spent to make someone feel special. When Addy was 10, she told Dora Sullivan, who was mayor at the time, she was going for her job.
Addy has taken all these gifts and is using them for the environment, to help the homeless, to teach art. She is working towards a degree in art therapy and her doctorate in psychology. We wanted you to understand how this little flower blossomed.
Shannon Lyon, Virginia Beach
Larry and Trina Veber, Cape Charles
