A WOMAN who moved to America 25 years ago has been named Person of the Year by her local newspaper.

Hazel Foley swapped Scotland for Ohio in 1999 alongside her husband John and son Harry.

Earlier this year, daily newspaper Sandusky Register recently named Hazel its 2023 Person of the Year.

The 61-year-old, who is executive director at Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter, told the Courier: “Receiving this award was a surprise but a very nice one.

“I feel very honoured to be recognised in the community I work and at the same time this award helps raise awareness about domestic violence.”

Safe Harbour assists victims and survivors of domestic violence by providing shelter, crisis line, counselling and support groups, as well as legal advocacy and community education.

The non-profit agency in Sandusky, which has a population of about 25,000, is funded by state and federal grants.

Services are provided free-of-charge to any victim or survivor of domestic violence.

Hazel grew up on Haddington’s Davidson Terrace, then Burnside, before moving to the USA, where her mum Alice Fleming also lives.

Her sister Linda still lives in Scotland, while younger brother Steven also moved to the USA.

Sadly, John died in 2008 at the age of 50 following “a very short and courageous battle with cancer”, while her son Harry died very suddenly in 2022.

Hazel said: “My work is important to me as I am a domestic violence survivor.

“After my first husband John died, I was very distraught and lonely.

“Unfortunately, I met someone who was very abusive and I nearly lost my life.

“Safe Harbour assisted me with a safety plan to leave the abusive relationship and provided me the support I needed to move forward with my future.

“I became an employee during my healing process with Safe Harbour. It is important to me to give back to this agency who saved my life.

“I feel privileged to be able to assist survivors like me.”

The former King’s Meadow Primary School and Knox Academy pupil, who was sworn in as a US citizen in 2018, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation.

She said: “I have an amazing team of eight who all make our programs possible.

“The previous director, Linda Mitchell, sadly passed away suddenly in 2022.

“She was not only my boss but a good friend and confidant, and I miss her terribly.

“I had just begun my new role as director here when my son suddenly passed away within five days of Linda’s death.

“I lost two people close to me in the same week.”

Lara Wilken, who is a board member at Safe Harbour, congratulated her friend on the recognition.

She said: “A heroine is defined as a woman noted for courageous acts. When I think of Hazel, the first word that comes to mind is heroine.

“Hazel is a shining example in our community of what it means to be a person for the people, people who need her most.

“While Hazel may hold the title of director, one would never know because, outside of the required administrative work, she remains actively involved in the care of the clients for which Safe Harbour serves.

“Hazel is a compassionate, hands-on leader.

“She is a fierce champion for women and all vulnerable populations, and an equally humble advocate.

“It is never about her; it is always about her team and the people she serves.”

Sandusky is 50 miles west of Cleveland and the Sandusky Register has a daily circulation of about 10,000.

Based on nominations from readers, the paper’s annual Person of the Year accolade “recognises community members who place others above themselves in a caring, selfless fashion”.