FISH gains new leader for new year

By Janelle Stecklein
Journal Staff

January 11, 2008 11:48 am

— GREENVILLE — The new year ushers in a new era for one Hunt County charity.
The last day of 2007 marked the end of long-time executive director the Rev. Bill Hunt’s leadership of Hunt County Shared Ministries (FISH) and the beginning of Wally Jeffers’ time at the helm of the organization.
FISH, a charity which serves all of Hunt County, is best known for its food pantry and its work with the needy.
Hunt, who announced he was retiring in September, had been the leader of FISH since it was organized in 1990.
FISH Board of Directors President Ceil Armstrong said Hunt helped build faith and trust in the organization throughout the community.
“The (people have) faith in Bill,” she said. “Bill has been here. He’s been the stable, driving force (behind FISH).”
Armstrong also said Hunt is a man of high integrity.
“He’s definitely already being missed,” she said. “Everyone that’s involved has a lot of confidence in (Hunt and the ministry.)”
Hunt said the concept of retirement is too new to really grasp yet and admitted he has stopped by the King Street office, which he helped envision and build, several times this past week.
“I’ve forgotten I don’t have a key (anymore),” he said with a grin.
Hunt has been taking Jeffers, who was hired as the new executive director in December, around town showing him the ropes to help smooth the transition.
“(It helped) to just get a feeling for what took place every day,” Jeffers said of his work with Hunt.
“I feel very good about the transition,” Hunt added.
Jeffers said FISH appears to be a perfect fit for him and his wife, Sandra, and their 12-year-old daughter who attends the Greenville Sixth Grade Center.
“It kind of takes all the talents and gifts that I like to do,” he said.
Armstrong said of the 14 or 15 people who applied, Jeffers was the most impressive.
“Wally came very well prepared,” she said, noting that he came in with long-term ideas for growth and additional resources the organization could tap into.
“We just felt this was God’s man for the job,” Armstrong said. “We were constantly in prayer. We just felt it was God’s hand that brought Wally. We were looking for a person with a passion to help those in need.”
Armstrong said she believes the board has found that and more in Jeffers.
“We weren’t looking for someone to fill Bill’s shoes because you can’t do that,” she said. “We were looking for someone to carry on with the ministry.”

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