Remembering a Friend, Mentor, and HBI Family Member: Augusta Shipsey

If you joined Health Bridges for a Team Perú outreach trip anytime between the late 1990s and early 2010s – you had the pleasure of meeting one of our longest-serving and most dedicated volunteers, Mrs. Augusta Shipsey. It is with a sad heart that we learned today that Mrs. Shipsey passed away recently.

Augusta – or the Rebar Queen as she was known on the Team Perú construction projects – was a dear friend, a constant mentor, and a true champion for the work of HBI. She was always willing to help raise money for the Casa Girasoles, put up a “Giving Tree” over the Holidays to procure donations and supplies, and lend her hand at any task or activity. Augusta was one of the first HBI Team Perú trip members – having completed too many trips to count.

The Team Perú trips for several years involved construction projects at the Casa Girasoles properties. Augusta, a grade school teacher, was not shy with a hammer or shovel. She came by her nickname Rebar Queen through honest hard work. Augusta equally matched long days on the construction sites with her penchant for teaching – and she provided many a health talk in the Peruvian Ministry of Education schools of Mala, Asia, Bujama, Ica, and Cañete, teaching oral hygiene during the Team Perú outreach clinics.

HBI is an organization that helps hundreds of children and families every day. We are able to do this important work in great part because of the kindness, support, and mentoring of Augusta Shipsey. The world was made a much better place because of Augusta Shipsey. Her kind smile will be dearly missed and remembered forever.

Thank you, dear friend. We will miss you.