Sylvia Chaves Stelly was recognized as the 2012 Person of the Year by The Jambalaya News at a banquet Thursday night.

Stelly is the executive director of La Familia Resource Center, which is a non-profit that was developed to meet the needs of the Latino and other multi-cultural families in Lake Charles.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award. This is a very prestigious award to me, because it is not solely about me, but about the work I am called to do in Lake Charles and surrounding communities,” Stelly said. “I sincerely have a passion to serve and help people from different cultures and nationalities.”

She said La Familia’s mission is to help build a community by crossing cultural bridges.

“Helping people has always been my passion and my love,” Stelly said.

Dr. Debbie Thomas, founder of Family Life Counseling Services, was the keynote speaker. She talked about the importance of making the “perfect impact” through the “work in you.”

“When we locate a person that carries within them the revelation of their assignment in life, you’ve met a person that personifies God’s plan,” Thomas said. “We were born to make a difference and to leave a mark in the earth that cannot be erased.”

She said “such is the case” for Stelly.

“The work inside of her is to help others and to alleviate the misfortune in the lives of others,” Thomas said. “Her courageous efforts bring a balance to the injustice that many people in our community face.”

The award, in its first year, was voted on by Jambalaya News readers.

(Special to the American Press)