Sholty to marshal Christmas parade
By Kevin Schnepp Staff writer

Donna Sholty

Delphi Lions Club selected parade founder Donna Sholty to be grand marshal for the 2007 Christmas parade Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. Sholty and youth from Delphi First Presbyterian Church started the parade in 1992.

Donna married Edward Sholty 43 years ago in Lafayette. The couple moved to Delphi in late 1964 and has lived there ever since. They have two sons. Thomas, his wife, Christina, and their daughter, Micaiah, reside in Dayton. Brian is a resident of Lafayette.

Donna said she loves working with children, evidenced by the amount of volunteer work she has performed on their behalf through the years. She was a Sunday School teacher at Delphi Presbyterian Church for several years and operated a day care in her home for 33 years. She still works with the church youth group and is on the Christian Education Committee.

As a day care provider, Sholty said she became very attached to those who came to her as newborns or small babies and stayed until they were 10 to 12 years old. For the past nine years she has cared for the second generation of several children whose parents she watched when they were young.

"I've never counted how many children I have cared for," she said. "It's been a lot."

Sholty was a 4-H leader for 13 years beginning in 1986 and served on the 4-H Exhibit Board from 1989 to 1995. She was awarded the Outstanding Service Award in 1991.

She also volunteered as a Cub Scout leader for three years in the early 1990s and served on the scout board for two additional years. In the mid-90s she helped organize a Bike-A-Thon to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital.

Sholty said the Lions have helped her with the parade for many years both financially and by supplying manpower for her needs.

"These men have been great to work with," she commented.

This year she decided to relinquish parade coordination efforts to the community service oriented club.

"I feel the Lions Club will keep the Christmas parade going for a long time," she said. "They are a great bunch of guys for doing this because they are a kid-oriented group and the Christmas parade is for the kids, no matter what the age."