Someone You Should Know: Georgia Gillian

Georgia Gillian relies on one thing in her life.

“I believe that we’re gifted and that we're supposed to use the gifts that we are given to serve others,” she said. “All that I do, I do because I believe I am supposed to be doing it,” she said. “Religion can do what ever it wants to do, the only source I have is my relationship with Jesus Christ.”

She says despite her best efforts, she knows she will not always achieve that goal.

“I won’t always,” she said. “I know how imperfect I am, it is His grace that continues to cover me.”

Gillian was honored April 3 at the Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon. She was awarded the Community Leadership Award.

Gillian has spent 26 years in Bolingbrook and in that time has both volunteered and worked in a variety of places, including youth ministry, wedding planning and high school security.

She has four children, all whom she homeschooled long before that was a popular choice for families.

“At the time, nobody was doing it," she said. “Our families thought we were nuts and we were going to damage our kids.”

But she knew that was the best choice for her family.

“I needed to teach them and help them to develop their character,” she said.

The choice to homeschool her children was a combination of wanting to include morality and spirituality into their studies and the desire to differentiate learning for each of her children.

“I needed to teach them and help them to develop their character,” she said. “The largest reason is I know my kid; No one is going to know my kid or love my kid the way I do.”

Gillian’s family is incredibly important to her. She has been married to her husband Thomas for 31 years. He attended the luncheon on April 6 when she was honored.

She and Thomas were married young.

“I was 18, he was 21,” she said. “Everyone thought we were stupid and weren’t going to make it.”

But she said they have made it work throughout the years in a number of ways.

One way is something called an "I'm sorry cup." The idea is this: when newly married, a bride and groom have a special cup set aside for just this purpose. When they get in a disagreement, one of the two fills the cup with liquid and says, "I'm sorry, I do love you."

"It is hard to say you’re sorry," Gillian said. "It’s hard even to say you’re wrong. It is a little buffer but then it’s easier to say, yea, I screwed up

Gillian was inspired in part by this and began her new business - The Unique Umbrella. She provides promotional products and concentrates on helping non-profits in the process.

For more information on The Unique Umbrella, call 630-650-2637.