Volunteer Spotlight: Sharon O'Malley, Chehalem Senior Center
BY ISAAC ARTHUR
“I love people. Every job that I’ve ever had I’ve been involved with people.”
If you’ve been through the doors at Chehalem Senior Center in Newberg within the last eleven years or so, chances are one of the first people you met was Sharon O’Malley. There’s usually coffee on, and Sharon is there at the counter, ready with a greeting, information, and friendly conversation.
“I’ve been here for forever,” she says. While she’s volunteered at the desk since 2011, she’s worn many different hats over the years, including those of driver and exercise coach. She stays pretty busy.
The center has many things going on, including meals, games, activities, groups, classes, health and legal clinics, day trips, and more. The volunteers handle it all—calls, inquiries, sign-ups, appointments, scheduling, and referring people for services.
“I’m here for six hours. I’m exhausted when I get home. And it isn’t physical. It’s this talking, you know, visiting with everybody. And people come in and everyone wants to visit. And I’m--I’m sorry to say, but--I’m good at that.”
Sharon is someone with stories to share, and someone to whom people tell their stories as well. She’s lived in Newberg and on the Oregon Coast, been married and raised kids, knows life in town and on the farm, worked at Brookdale retirement community, and as a vet tech, managed a coffeeshop, and still volunteers with her church community. When asked about her favorite memory from her time at the center, she speaks of the friends that she’s made here, recalling a woman she became particularly close to who “changed the atmosphere” in the room whenever she walked in, or a couple who fell in love in their 90s and whose romance blossomed over lunch in the cafeteria, and stories preserved in a spiral-bound book, thanks to a writing class that was held at the center.
Today, Sharon wants more people to be aware of the senior center and how accessible it is.
“It’s not far,” she says, it’s in town, and volunteers will help you find a ride if you need it. Even if you’re not coming for a specific activity, she hopes you’ll swing by just to visit.
If you are interested in joining any of these activities, finding out more about what the Senior Center has to offer, or would like to volunteer, please visit the senior center webpage or call (503) 537-9404.
