Shirley Weaver, a Remarkable Woman from the City of Mullens
MULLENS, WV (WVNS) – Shirley Weaver is retired from Lockheed Martin in Atlanta, and has a fun side folks may not expect.
“Back in, it would’ve been 2012, I went to Clown College” said Weaver.
But don’t let the heels or the clown wig fool you. Shirley Weaver is a force in her hometown of Mullens.
You could say, she’s a strong wind who’s blown back to town – and she’s brought hope with her.
Driving through the city of Mullens, nearly every park you see is standing because of Shirley Weaver.
In 2001, Shirley and her husband Charlie were in Mullens when one of the most devastating floods in West Virginia’s history struck.
As the couple headed back to Georgia, the view of her hometown is one Shirley has never forgotten.
“Roads were broken. Cars were hanging in the trees. Houses and trailer were off their foundation. It was just so sad. It was very sad, to see what had happened” said Weaver to 59News.
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Shirley and her friends from Georgia came to help with flood clean-up.
Over the next few years, the Weavers would move to Florida to care for Shirley’s parents.
Meanwhile in Mullens, the floodwaters were gone, but the town was drying up, too, as 38 businesses closed and the town’s parks, where families and children once gathered, were gone with no tax base to rebuild.
That’s when Weaver, the soft-spoken grandmother and retired businesswoman, stepped in to save her hometown, launching the City of Mullens Foundation.
“We sold a car, asked the president of the bank to be our treasurer, and opened the bank account” said Weaver.
Shirley now raises funds, putting on fashion shows and other events down in Florida with friends there, as well as fundraising in Mullens.
Her efforts have paid off. A drive through town shows three playgrounds, picnic areas, basketball courts and a swimming pool – all built in the last decade.
“I have said, that pool’s going to get the best of me yet. We have that beautiful slide that the kids love, and someone gave us money and donated that” Weaver told 59News.
But maybe the most important thing Shirley’s helped bring back to her hometown is a feeling that things are getting better.
Shirley says she doesn’t want praise. She gives credit to her generous helpers, and to someone else.
“To God. I really do, because I pray about everything I do, and He continues to give us the resources we need” said Weaver.
City leaders say Mullens is now seeing new business growth and Shirley is taking her foundation idea to other small towns in southern West Virginia.
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