Sam Oliver. She is a “volunteer and worker extraordinaire.” This first time I saw her, about 27 years ago, she was receiving a special volunteer award at the Good Shepherd Hospital Gala. There was that beaming smile, and humble acceptance of well deserved recognition. Since then, she has served in many capacities at Good Shepherd, Barrington United Methodist Church; and, perhaps most notably, as staff director of the Citizens for Conservation. I asked Sam about her years of service in the Barrington area, and this is what she had to say:
Q. How long have you been volunteering in the Barrington area?
A: We moved to the Barrington area in 1968 and I began volunteering immediately because we have four children. It was a great way for all of us to become acquainted with the community.
Q: When and why did you become involved with Citizens for Conservation?
A. In 1984, the Directors of Citizens for Conservation asked me to become their first Staff Director. This meant that I was to have the same role as a member of the Board of Directors, but I would be paid– that is, staff. I believe I was asked because CFC has such a strong and rich culture of volunteerism, and by 1984 I had served in a number of volunteer capacities in the community, with many passionate volunteers on a number of great causes. I was also very interested in the environment. We chose to move to the Barrington area because of the open space and found a home on a ravine on the north branch of Flint Creek. I came to realize that we live in a very special area, worth preserving and protecting, and CFC’s mission, “Saving Living Space for Living Things” was extremely important.
Q. What is your greatest passion/motivator?
A: It is always the people that I work with. So many volunteers bring such passion and commitment to an incredible number of projects and causes and their energy and the synergy that results are amazing. Helping people find their special niche in a project is a real pleasure.
Q: What are your future goals for your volunteer work?
A: “There are many good things happening and my goal is to stay open to the next promising opportunity to work with interesting people. I have a lot to learn to take advantage of the ways technology helps us deal with the details that used to slow us down. It seems that now we can get to the heart of a matter more quickly and start working on solutions — and enjoy the process!
Q: Any words of wisdom for today’s Barrington youth?
A: They are outstanding in their concern for others and their ability to make a real difference in so many ways. I hope they will keep their enthusiasm, learn from — instead of being discouraged by — any setbacks and be open to all the possibilities that lie ahead.
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Spoken as a true leader. And a beaming one at that!
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