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 Pat and John exemplify the phrase birds of a feather flock together. This issue we feature John and Pat because of their outstanding dedication to helping others.
They have been married thirty-seven years and for almost as many years, Pat has worked as a special education teacher and school administrator. Because of her years working with special needs children, Pat is patient and understanding. When she talks of her former students, her face lights up and her eyes get teary. Both John and Pat have been long time volunteers at Trinity Services, Inc. John is a higher education consultant and is on the Foundation Board of Trinity Services and Pat sits on Trinity’s Board of Families and Friends. For sixteen years, they have both been on the Capital Campaign Committee and the Dinner Dance Committee for Trinity. We considered ourselves so lucky when John and Pat brought their experience and expertise to Together We Cope. This past year, John and Pat increase attendance at our Dinner Dance in February with their idea to have a ‘Table Captains Party’, which was hosted by Senator Maggie Crotty in her home. Not only did they have a great idea, we found out John is a fabulous cook. He catered the event with scrumptious hors d’oeuvres. Speaking of food, John enjoys cooking. "I started about 10 years ago when I began working at home." In addition to his love of cooking for anyone who has a love of eating, John enjoys gardening and being involved with the community. He said that he enjoys helping others and it is important for him to be involved. "One of the most rewarding things I ever did was to participate in a mentoring program for 8th grade boys," he says with a warm smile. Pat shares John's love of helping others. In addition to being a generous soul, Pat enjoys reading and traveling. In fact, both she and John share the passion of travel. While their lists of travels are extensive, some of the more interesting places are Estonia, Finland, and Okinawa. Even though this fantastic couple has only been involved with Together We Cope since November of 2006, it seems like they have been here longer. It is probably because of how much they have done in that short time. Pat is often seen sorting clothes in the resale shop and fills in as receptionist at least once a week. Exactly how did they come to volunteer here and become such a big part of Together We Cope? After her retirement as a teacher, Pat found herself watching too much daytime television. Not the type to relax all day, she needed to be involved. Her daughter Jamie used to volunteer at Together We Cope and recommended Pat give it a try. "I really like it here because everyone is like a family," says Pat. "I started by volunteering one day a week in the shop, but now I am here three days doing various tasks." We are so happy that Pat got bored watching television. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
