Pleroma Social Services and Pleroma Christian Supplies founder, Shirley Duthie, has been awarded the Central Hawke’s Bay District Civic Award for 2016.
The mayor of Central Hawke’s Bay (CHB), Peter Butler, presented the award as an acknowledgement of Shirley’s 46 years of service to the local community.
Specifically, it recognised her work with vulnerable pregnant mothers and in the areas of counselling and social services.
Shirley also worked successfully to bring the Hawke’s Bay Community College (now known as EIT) to rural areas such as CHB to enable tertiary study in the regions.
In the 1970’s Shirley and her late husband, Ian, saw a need for support services for pregnant women who wanted to continue their pregnancies in order to either keep their babies or place them for adoption.
After prayer and careful discernment, they donated their family home and, with the assistance of community members, the Pleroma Charitable Trust was formed.
The Pleroma Trust is now known as Pleroma Social Services and continues to provide counselling and social services in the Central Hawke’s Bay community.
It is part of the Pleroma Group which also includes Pleroma Press and Pleroma Christian Supplies which were also founded by Shirley and Ian.
Shirley is currently general manager of Pleroma Christian Supplies.
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