The Greaves Award

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

For nearly 10 years, a woman named Cindy Greaves served as a shining light of positivity at Community Leadership Academy (CLA) in Tallahassee. Her career began with a position as a kindergarten teacher, eventually expanding to a role as one of the 1st grade teachers. Sadly, Greaves passed away unexpectedly on March 19 of this year, leaving many colleagues, family members and students grief-stricken.
Greaves adored her students, and for many years, eagerly anticipated the Poster Contest held by the local Farm Bureau each year. As this year's contest took place so soon after her passing, Sarah Fulford, who serves as Women's Chair for the Jefferson County Farm Bureau Women's Committee, included a special award for teachers participating in this year's contests. This award was given to teachers who had known and worked alongside Greaves, and serves as a reminder to keep her legacy alive.
“I wanted to do something to honor Cindy in a special way,” says Fulford, “all while ministering to the teachers who worked with her everyday.”
The Greaves Award, as it is called, features a class photo mounted in a frame. The photo of Greaves and her class was taken just two weeks before her death. Surrounding the photo is a written inscription that reads, “The Greaves Award... in loving memory of Cindy Greaves, our teacher and friend, who dedicated her life to loving and serving Jesus and furthering His kingdom here on earth. Cindy was truly the hands and feet of Jesus. The legacy she leaves behind will forever impact those who knew and loved her. Her example will be etched in our minds and hearts. May we share the love of Jesus as she did every single day.”
Included around the frame was her life verse from the Christian Bible, “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)”
Accompanying this quote is another of Cindy's favorites, one she shared often with her students: “God is good – All the time. All the time – God is good.”
According to Fulford, ever since Greaves began teaching at CLA, she made it her mission to further God's kingdom on earth.
“She did exactly that,” says Fulford. “She led both of my kids to the Lord when they were in kindergarten. She put God first in everything she did. CLA suffered a great loss, and her presence is greatly missed.”
In her obituary, Greaves is described as a family person, having married the love of her life, Chris, in 1994. Together, the pair had three children, a daughter and two sons, and her favorite place to be was with her family. It is said that her love for her husband, children and other family and friends was only surpassed by her love of Jesus. Her final words were, “For His glory.”
In light of her memory, teachers were presented with the Greaves Award to commemorate their friendship to an amazing woman, who was greatly admired and is dearly missed by those who knew and loved her.