Volunteer Profiles

I have been a lawyer for most of my career. I worked primarily for technical companies, including Raytheon, Hub Spot, Genuity and Simplex. I’ve also run my law firm since 2001.  After I formally “retired,” I wasn’t satisfied without some kind of meaningful work, so I started looking for part-time work in law, but couldn’t find anything. I had been volunteering with Metro West Legal Services on a program to train attorneys to do bankruptcies for their clients, so I understood how impacted people could be by financial hardship. When I found that I could work half-time doing money management assistance for seniors, it felt like a really good fit. So, I started at Springwell in February of 2024.

A Money Manager will interview a prospective client to learn about their personal and financial background. Then we offer them help through trained volunteers based on their particular financial needs: balancing their checkbook, paying their bills on time, setting up a budget, or renewing their participation in financial assistance programs (e.g. housing vouchers), among other tasks.  We also work to prevent elder financial abuse – I’ve been surprised how rampant it is!  I have had numerous cases where someone was been taken advantage of.  If one of us (i.e. a bill payer volunteer) had been working with them earlier, they could have been saved thousands of dollars. We give people financial peace of mind.

I like to be doing different things all the time.  Which is good, because the work is constantly changing and new demands keep things interesting. We often have a fire to put out, for example, when someone doesn’t get their Social Security check on time, we help track it down to make sure they have the funds they need to live on. Basically, we work to keep people in their home in their community for as long as possible.

When I’m not working with Springwell, I continue to volunteer at MetroWest Legal Services and I still have a few of my long-term clients. I keep physically active with hiking, skiing (downhill), tennis, mountain biking, and recently pickle ball.  And of course, there’s my family.  My wife and I have 3 daughters; the youngest is now 32 years old.

I started at Springwell first as a Money Management volunteer in mid-2022.  I was also a SHINE volunteer (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone).  I had been on a short hiatus from work after having worked with seniors and the disabled for 30 years.  I really enjoyed my time working directly with people to help them handle their money better, so when I saw that the position of Money Management Program Specialist was open, I applied and got the job.

I enjoy trying to navigate people’s particular situation to find a way to help them.  Every client you see there’s something you can do to make things better. When I check in with clients and hear them say they really appreciate the help, it makes me feel really good. I’ve been in this position 1 years now, and I’m still acting as a volunteer at the same time!

We have a very good program.  Writing checks and balancing finances is important, and can be quite challenging for some people. Sometimes clients think the questions we ask are invasive, but we need to ask so we understand how to best help them. It’s important to get people to open up and learn about what we do, so they will trust us.  For example, there was one client who had a shopping addiction.  She had piles of boxes in her house. This was a part of her financial problem – she just kept clicking and buying things!  She thought she could handle her finances herself, so the volunteer had to get her to understand that she had to spend less to get things under control. The volunteer did eventually manage to get her budget under control.

In my free time, I like to have lunch outside somewhere with a good cup of coffee with pastry, and my friends. Then go for a walk. If I have enough time off, I’d do all of that in Italy!

Springwell volunteer Martha Connors brings empathy, compassion, and extensive experience of caregiving to her role in our Ombudsman program. In fact, she began helping people who are old or ill when she was in middle school. Her comfortability with helping others then became personal during her twenties when her father was diagnosed with cancer. She moved home to help take care of him, and would eventually go on to become a caregiver for mother as she grew older and entered hospice. “Not everyone is comfortable around seniors and those who are ill,” she reflects. “So I’m in a position to help them.”

Although Martha spent the majority of her career working in media, she knew she was meant to help others and knew she could do it well. When she was laid off, rather than viewing it as a setback, Martha saw it as an opportunity to follow a calling as a caregiver, leading her to volunteer in hospice. This was a pivotal moment, as it resulted in her leaving part-time consulting job to volunteer for Springwell’s Ombudsman Program. As an Ombudsman, she visits residents weekly, building trust and acting as a confidential advocate for her rights and well-being. The more time she spends with each resident, the better she gets to know them.

One moment that stuck with Martha was helping a nonverbal resident who was stuck being in either her bed or her stationary chair. Without the ability to express verbally, it was hard for the resident to convey what she needed. But after spending time with her, Martha learned that all that she wanted was a wheelchair. Martha then took her request, and convinced the nursing home to allow her to have it. “Next thing I know, I’m walking down the hall, and there she was wheeling down the hall, waving at me.” Martha says with a laugh. She says that was one of the more impactful moments during her time as an Ombudsman.

But Martha believes that her work as an Ombudsman volunteer has been just as meaningful to her as it is to the residents she supports. “While advocating for the seniors, I’ve matured in my ability to help solve problems in general. I’ve learned to work with the management of the facilities, and I found myself using skills I didn’t even know I had.”

Being an Ombudsman takes a lot of effort, but Martha has a knack for it, and she believes it is incredibly rewarding. She hopes to continue to support the residents she works with and grow alongside them.

I’m passionate about people’s well-being, and I know that nutrition has an impact on health. In fact, I’ve seen that connection in real life. I’m from Israel and I served in the army as a Combat Fitness Instructor. I saw a direct connection between the soldiers’ performance and the food they ate. I see this with our older adults as well, in terms of their physical and emotional health.

I studied Nutrition, Dietetics, and Public Health as an undergrad, and then served as a dietitian for 7 years at Newbridge on the Charles, a senior retirement community in Dedham, MA, completing my Master’s in Nutrition and Health Promotion in 2015. I wanted to continue in a job where I could be caring for the community, providing services and helping to keep older adults in their homes. I’ve been here almost 6 years now, and I love working with my team, the volunteers and our community partners to ensure our smooth operation. Through consistent teamwork we served 550,000 meals to 4,000 consumers in FY24. We are so grateful for the dedication of our amazing volunteers whose efforts truly make this work possible on a daily basis.

When I’m not working, I love spending time with husband and my 2 daughters, ages 4 and 8. We go ice skating, downhill skiing and hiking, and look forward to this coming summer activities as well. And of course, we always eat well!

I’ve been the Assistant Nutrition Director here at Springwell since May, 2023. I really enjoy the daily problem solving the job requires and being a resource for assistance for others on the team: site managers, volunteers, office staff etc.

I started my first job at age 16 at McDonalds working in the grill.  Little did I know that working with food would be a steady theme across the rest of my career. After McDonalds, I delivered pizzas and stocked shelves at Stop & Shop as I worked towards finishing college with a degree in Sociology and Business Administration.  Stop and Shop took a special interest in me and I was entered into their managerial training program to put me on track to get into store management upon graduation.

I knew I wanted to make an impact in the community and do something fulfilling that helped other people. After graduating in 2017 and trying out management at Stop and Shop, I realized that my goals weren’t going to be met there and working in retail wasn’t my calling. So, in 2018 after searching for a new career path, I found Elder Services of Worcester Area. ESWA is a nonprofit that provides assistive services for elders in the community. They were looking for help in their Nutrition Program. I applied and got the job, beginning a 5-year journey as the Nutrition Operations Manager there. I enjoyed my time working at ESWA in the Nutrition Program. That position gave me valuable knowledge and experience that equipped me with the best tools to succeed in my next role, which ended up being with Springwell as the Assistant Nutrition Director.

Here at Springwell, I am fully engaged in the operations of the program every day. Days don’t always go as planned, and thinking quickly to find solutions is a valuable skill. Sometimes the caterer’s truck with food is late, or a volunteer calls in sick, or the building we pack meals in isn’t open for the day. There’s always a wide variety of issues/questions that can show up unexpectedly but I enjoy the challenge this provides. Luckily, I have a strong team of colleagues and volunteers that I work with who help me ensure that operations run smoothly most of the time.

The Nutrition Program at Springwell cannot achieve its goals without volunteers. I want the volunteers to know how much we appreciate them, and encourage them to reach out if they need anything – that’s what we’re here for.  The volunteers are so dedicated to helping our communities. Sometimes when we have coverage shortages, I have to go out and deliver meals on a route. I appreciate those opportunities because I get to be a Meals on Wheels driver and experience everything our volunteers do out on the road. It helps me see that we are providing a quality service and that our consumers are being cared for by their drivers. It also provides valuable insights into our operations and makes me aware of any changes or improvements that can be made. My favorite part of this job is interacting with our consumers and putting a smile on their faces!  That makes me feel like I did something for them that helped make their day a little better. Even if I’m feeling stressed, there are people that need me, which motivates me to do everything possible to continue doing a good job.

In my non-work time, I love the outdoors and expressing my creative side. My favorite hobby is riding my bicycle on various bike paths and trails throughout New England. Riding my bike gets me out into the sunshine and let’s me see and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. When I’m not on my bike exercising my legs, I exercise my mind by painting, playing video games, writing creative stories, reading and making fun videos (mostly on my bike!)

In June of 2025 I will have been at Springwell for 38 years! I was in college when I started as a Meals Delivery Coordinator.  Back then when Springwell was called West Suburban Services.  At that time, we provided meals to 3 towns with only 100 people in total; now it’s 7 towns including well over 500 people.

I’ve always liked this job because it involves nutrition, specifically for seniors.  I was a food/nutrition major in college, so it was a good fit.  And when I was a child, I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with 2 of my great grandmothers.  It was a true privilege to have that kind of access to the older generation in my family.  That experience made me comfortable with seniors even when I was young.

I feel strongly for the people I supervise in my position.  I’m their advocate and try to make their role here easier for them by maintaining order and organization and simplifying things as much as possible.  I’ve had the privilege of working with some wonderful people over the years, including some volunteer drivers who’ve been here for 20+ years.  Volunteers are the engine of the program. Without them, we couldn’t do what we do.  And I love that we are bringing meals to seniors – to see their gratitude, make someone’s day, I can directly see how valuable the service is for them. Not everyone is aware of this, but we have a special therapeutic meal program that offers a variety of special diets: soft, textured, renal, cardiac and low lactose.

As for me personally, I’m a first generation American. I’m Azorean – my family originally came from the Azores.  So I love traveling, but I also have enjoyed keeping our family/cultural traditions, like making Sweet Bread (with eggs) for Easter.  Next year I hope to go back to the Azores with my sister and her kids.

Being part of this program and doing the work we do every day is very important to me.  It gives me wonderful opportunities to interact with community dining participants, as well as volunteers and Springwell staff.  I get so much back when we all work together! We have had some very dedicated volunteers who have done this for many years.  They have amazing energy and a special kind of spirit.

I didn’t start out in social services. I worked in a bank when I was in high school, and then went on to study Information Technology at college.  When I graduated, I worked in software development at a hospital for a few years and spent most of my IT career in IT project management at a book publishing company.  I decided that I wanted a change, specifically so I could do something that would have a more personal and direct impact on my community.  I moved into an administrative support role in a doctor’s office, but also kept an eye out for new opportunities.

Four and a half years ago, I found Springwell where I became a Nutrition Administrative Assistant.  Shortly after that, the role of Community Dinning Manager opened up, allowing me to more directly help people get a nutritious meal along with some wholesome socialization. Springwell offers so many different services that are important to know about. When I go out to the dining sites, I see the benefits first hand.

When I’m not working, I love spending time on the beach.  It’s so relaxing to be with family and friends, and watch the ocean together.  The coast of Maine, and the South Shore are among my favorites.  While I don’t play any instruments, I do love music and going to concerts: soft rock, pop, and also the Symphony now and then.

I got a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and have always been interested in understanding human interactions.  Being an Ombudsman I’m right in the thick of it.  We’re the only people residents in a facility feel they can fully trust and talk to about their needs, since we are not affiliated with their facility and it’s confidential. We always make a difference, even if it’s just on a small issue.  If a resident has a need that was not getting fulfilled, we can help them get it, or at least make the situation better for them.

I started my career working with children and adolescents with severe behavioral health issues.  I worked with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and tried to keep them at home.  After that job, I found Springwell, and started working in homecare.  But once I found this Ombudsman position, I really enjoyed it.  I’ve been in this position 5 years now, and love meeting different people every single day. I never know who they will be, so it’s interesting to hear their experiences.  We go into the facilities every week and have a profound presence.

Ombudsman is a unique position for a volunteer.  They really get to know the residents, and interact with the staff at the facility on their behalf.  Their assistance helps the residents to voice any issues they might have and use the formal policies and informal relationships to resolve them.

I’m the mother of 2 young children: a 3-year-old in preschool, and a 1-year-old in daycare. My husband and I also have 2 dogs, so it’s very active when we’re all together. Luckily, we have a nice support system, so I can enjoy everything!

I worked as a baby sitter as a teenager.  I’m one of 11, with 6 brothers and 5 sisters, so I was used to taking care of younger siblings!  I also worked at McDonalds.  It was fun back then when we took the order and got the food for customers.  I doubt that it’s as much fun to work there anymore, with so much less customer contact.

I’ve now worked at Springwell (formerly BayPath) for 30 years.  I developed good listening skills when I was young, maybe that’s what made me gravitate to this job. I now spend my days interacting with many different people including the management of the facilities, the residents and their families.  The volunteers and I are there to see that residents are satisfied with their care; that they are aware of their rights.  I can direct them to the regulator (the Department of Public Health).  And we always respect resident’s confidentiality.  We also encourage residents to speak up, empowering them to advocate for themselves.

It’s most important to listen to people so they feel heard.  And sometimes people do get upset, which is hard, so I try to help and not take it personally. I always try to do things for the residents, make things better, and I’m very responsive. I focus on what I can do, not what I can’t – otherwise I’d drive myself crazy!

It can be a struggle now to find volunteers.  I have to cover quite a few facilities myself. I’m not complaining, visiting facilities is my favorite part of the job.   I did have a wonderful volunteer, Judy, who was with us for well over 20 years.  She loved the work so much, she became a recruiter for me.  She managed to get 6-7 others including her husband to join us.   (Editor’s Note: we would love to find more volunteers like Judy! Let us know if you are interested in helping us to recruit).

When I am not working, I can often be found hanging out with my sisters. If I’m not with my sisters, then I’m with my grandchildren. Those little ones give me the energy to keep going.  This is a wonderful job but can be an exhausting one sometimes!

I started working with seniors in 1987 as a Home Care worker and then as a Protective Services worker. I was also an Ombudsman in South Carolina for a few years before I returned to Massachusetts where I grew up. My grandmother was part of my inspiration.  She worked for Frank Manning, an elder rights activist who started the first gerontology program at the University of Massachusetts back in 1979.

I’ve now been at Springwell for over 2 years as the Assisted Living Ombudsman Program Manager.  We support residents and empower them to speak up about their care. It’s important that residents should know their rights.  People need to know that someone is there to answer their questions and get them what they need: an advocate. We always try to focus on what the resident wants, rather than on what the staff or family want.

I love meeting our seniors and hearing their stories, they are all so fascinating!  I could never sit in an office 9a – 5p.  I manage over 60 different locations!  The work is always different.  I really appreciate the volunteers, they can be there for residents much more often than we can.  They get to know people better so they find it easier to get residents to talk. And being an Ombudsman Volunteer is a big commitment: there’s a state certification training for the Ombudsman volunteers.  It includes a combination of online and in person training.  Our volunteer Ombudsmen are a truly dedicated team!