VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

An interview with SYBIL BOWER
by Andrea Petrosino (a Needham High School junior)

Q: How long have you been volunteering at the Community Council?

A: It has been around twenty-one years.

Q: How many hours do you spend at the Council each week?

A: On average about eight hours, but it can vary from week to week.

Q: When you are here, what kind of work do you do?

A: I come in 2 days a week, on Thursdays and Fridays. On Thursdays I help price and set up displays in the clothing area of the store, on Fridays I help customers make selections and work as a cashier.

Q: How did you hear about the Community Council and what made you want to volunteer?

A: Someone had mentioned volunteering to me; I didn’t have much going on at that time in my life and had a lot of spare time. I telephoned Stephanie Kalin, who was the Executive Director at the time, I began to volunteer and I enjoyed it so much that I stayed.

Q: What has been your best experience?

A: Everyday is a new experience, the way the people come in and how we relate to one another on a personal basis. We bond and establish friendships. Not only do they shop, but some people say it’s like their therapy. They are always saying how much they love coming here.

Q: How do you benefit from volunteering?

A: It makes me happy to see the looks on peoples faces when they find items here that they could not find in a traditional store. It gives me tremendous joy to see people so happy and so grateful.

Q: What is it about the Community Council that makes you want to keep volunteering?

A: So many things…mostly the relationships that have been built up among the people that both volunteer and shop here.

Q: How much longer do you intend to volunteer?

A: Forever! I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t come here. It has become an important part of my life for the past 21 years and it’s so enjoyable.

Click here to meet more volunteers! »