A local township employee was named Trustee Employee of the Year by the Indiana Township Association.
Franklin Township staff member Nichole Boston is the social security payee program coordinator, and has worked for the Franklin Township Trustee Office since February 2019. She previously served as transitional housing case manager.
Trustee Lydia Wales, who was named Indiana’s Trustee of the Year in 2019, nominated Boston for the award due to her clear devotion to serving township residents.
Boston’s position involves managing money for social security recipients who have a reduced mental capacity and have no family members to help them.
Boston helps 18 people manage their money, but also goes above and beyond to make sure all of their needs are met. For example, she picks up groceries for them, buys them new clothes online, orders their medicine and helps out with daily tasks such as cooking a meal or helping them figure out how to use their new television, Wales said.
“It absolutely takes a special person to do this,” she said. “It takes someone who can be nice and stern at the same time.”
Boston also took on a key role in the trustee office’s initiative to help the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority process COVID-19 rental assistance applications. She managed the first wave of applications, and the rest of the office helped with the second wave. They are now working on federal rental assistance applications, Wales said.
The trustee’s office has earned about $100,000 for processing the applications, as the office is compensated for their time on a per-application basis, she said.
“I am very thankful to Nichole for her service to my office and our community. Our office has accomplished many great things these last several years. We have added more services to the community while simultaneously keeping costs low through partnerships with other agencies and especially through the hard work of our staff members like Nichole,” Wales said in her nomination letter.
Boston wasn’t striving to be the best. She just goes to work each day and does what she can to help township residents, she said.
“To me, I come in and do my job and go about my day. I don’t think I did anything extra,” Boston said. “The township clients are who keep me going. They are great to work with.”
