“Volunteers give the time of their life!” states Helen Freiday, OLLI Volunteer Coordinator. In 2007, 152 OLLI volunteers contributed 13,231 reported hours – a record to be proud of. The volunteer program has grown substantially in the past seven years. In the year 2000 there were 20 volunteers who contributed about 2,900 hours.
Volunteers make very important contributions to the success of the Special Programs Division and Eckerd College. The hours recorded are just a small indication of the loyal support given to Special Programs. Volunteers work as office assistants, trip leaders, and trip assistants; they tell others about our OLLI programs, distribute materials at community events, and have been goodwill ambassadors in countless other ways.
This past year Eckerd College hosted the National Positive Aging Conference. Our volunteers were called up to work as conference guides, track leaders, registration assistants, session assistants, transportation facilitators, and refreshment break assistants. Sixty-two ASPEC and OLLI volunteers worked over 1,665 hours planning and hosting the three-day conference. Once again, volunteers gave their time of their life to make this conference the best.
Kudos also go to the OLLI membership volunteer committee that spent many hours distributing OLLI materials and calling prospective members and former members to contribute to an OLLI membership of 1,047 in 2007. This team was
instrumental in assisting with the opening of the OLLI classes at First Presbyterian Church, a new site in downtown St. Petersburg.
Under the volunteer leadership of Dolores Nielsen in the Palm Harbor/Dunedin area, Bob Fowlow in the Largo area, Irma Uebelhoer at Eckerd College, and the OLLI Advisory Council, OLLI continues to develop and grow. 2008 promises to
be another record-breaking year with over 1,000 OLLI members.
Dean and VP of Special Programs James Deegan, Director of Continuing Education James Frasier, Olli Volunteer Coordinator Helen Freiday, OLLI and Study Travel Program Coordinator Tom Santee, and Coordinator of Outreach and Marketing Kay Cole salute the 2007 volunteers and express their gratitude and thanks.
If you have a moment, we need you – any and all skills, interests, and experience are valuable to all our programs. You can make a difference! Join this dynamic team! Visit in person or contact the following:
Helen Freiday, Volunteer Coordinator
Eckerd College OLLI Volunteer Office, CEC 113
Call 727-864-8682 or e-mail freidahe@eckerd.edu
Volunteer Spotlight: Anne Sifferlin
Anne Sifferlin and I – Kay Cole – became friends during a golf cart ride after an OLLI celebration in the spring of 2007. This wasn’t just any ride. We were searching for her parked car, located somewhere on the Eckerd College campus. The search took us through the many college parking lots, some twice. The problem wasn’t that her car was so difficult to find; it was that our laughing and giggling distracted us from our goal. With each of us regaling similar silly incidents, we soon felt we’d known each other a long time. Later, realizing we had passed her car a half-dozen times during our search, we added another tale to our list of funny stories.
Anne grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Her drive to succeed became evident in early adulthood. As the fourth of five children, she was the primary caretaker for her mother and handicapped older sister. Even with this demanding responsibility, she held a full-time job as secretary to 15 engineers in a manufacturing company and attended Ohio State University Twilight School to pursue a degree in commercial art. Unfortunately, the school struggled to find nighttime instructors, so Anne switched to Franklin University’s School of Business.
Anne was a professional secretary for her entire working career. A past president of the St. Petersburg Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), formerly known as the Professional Secretaries International, she is still very involved with the organization and recently observed her fiftieth anniversary as a member. She also enjoyed her membership in the International Training in Communications (ITC), originally known as the International Toastmistresses Clubs. Her particular interests and training involved aspects of speech training, writing, and organizing; a membership in the National Association of Parliamentarians enhanced her considerable knowledge of parliamentary procedure.
Anne, a self-described late bloomer, met her future husband Herb at the State of Ohio Securities Division. As an auditor examining Ohio real estate ownership, he traveled frequently throughout Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Grand Bahamas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Anne traveled with Herb as much as her job would allow, and particularly enjoyed exploring the more remote areas during her visits. Anne and Herb eventually settled in Florida due to his health problems. After his death in 1983, Anne chose to stay in St. Petersburg and worked for the Diocese of St. Petersburg for 22 years.
Looking toward life after retirement, Eckerd College and the OLLI program became uppermost in Anne’s mind. In 2005, LaVerne Chambers, a long-time OLLI volunteer, invited her to a new member luncheon and, as Anne says, “The rest is history. It’s a wonderful program, the people with whom I have worked are so great – I love it.”
Helen Freiday, OLLI Volunteer Coordinator, comments on Anne’s teamwork as a volunteer: “No matter how big or small the job or how short the notice, if there is a need Anne will do her best to help. She has cheerfully and energetically served as office assistant and class assistant, helped with mass mailings and registrations in the call center, become an OLLI ambassador for community outreach and marketing, a dedicated social committee member, and an Elderhostel program greeter. OLLI and Eckerd College are fortunate to have such a wonderful volunteer!”
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