Since she has spent the last few years volunteering, Esther Herring said it is not uncommon for her to see children around Natchez who know her and want to say &uot;hello.&uot;

&uot;They remember you anywhere you see them.&uot; Herring said. &uot;They remember you.&uot;

Herring is the second vice president of the Junior Auxiliary of Natchez and served as its president last year.

Through the children-oriented service group, Herring has volunteered with children at West Primary School, the Sunshine Shelter for Abused and Neglected Children and the Guardian Shelter which is for battered women and their children.

&uot;I just feel like there are hundreds and hundreds of children here in our community that need help,&uot; Herring said.

Herrings work earned her the honor of being nominated as an Unsung Hero in last month’s Profile edition of The Democrat.

Herring, who is not a parent herself, finds her activities with the Junior Auxiliary of Natchez as a way to help the children that she has never had.

&uot;I feel real deeply about helping children that nobody else cares about,&uot; Herring said.

And she hopes that by helping children, someday those same children will grow up and also help others.

&uot;I just really do believe that one day I’m going to do something for a child … (and) they are going to remember that and it’s going to help them to be a better person one day,&uot; Herring said.

Some of the Junior Auxiliary of Natchez’s service projects include holding holiday parties for the children at the Guardian Shelter, Herring said.

And Herring said she has also assisted at the Sunshine Shelter, sometimes even taking children to the dentist if that is needed.

Herring also volunteers at the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race which raises money for the Natchez Children’s Home and she reads books to students at West Primary School – a school which has been adopted by the Junior Auxiliary of Natchez.

&uot;I believe anybody that volunteers especially when you volunteer and help children it’s got to make a difference in their lives,&uot; Herring said.

Herring is married to Jett Herring.

The Junior Auxiliary of Natchez also gathers backpacks full of school supplies for children in need and offers a summer camp known as camp sunshine each summer for mentally challenged students at Pleasant Acre Day School.

This year Herring is also serving as a chapter advisor to the Junior Auxiliary of Hazlehurst. In the future she is also considering running for a national office with Junior Auxiliary and being involved with a Boys and Girls Club that has been proposed for Natchez.