I’ve always known that I wanted to help others. As a young child, my mother used to call me a magnet for lost children as I used to bring home friends who needed food, clothes, or just guidance that I would happily provide at no charge.

As I got older, I gravitated toward friends who had bigger problems such as drugs and alcohol and had a tougher time helping them. Who was I kidding, I was in way over my head. So, I sought out an education and decided to make a career out of this so called “gift”. I chose social work and for the next 35 years performed all types of it in varied venues, but always with children, adolescents and families. For some reason it gave me some satisfaction at the end of the day. I enjoyed a diverse and interesting career.

As the years went on, and as my family grew,

the job became harder and the satisfaction became less of an occurrence. As an employee you tend to get caught up with the day to day struggles with paperwork and productivity and that took quite a toll on me.

But then came retirement. That was a sweet time for me. I took the time to rest up and recharge, however I soon realized that I missed the contact of working side by side someone and supporting them through their struggles. Then I saw Children’s Network of Southwest Florida and knew I had found my next job in life. I look forward to many new adventures and learning from others in this new experience. I’m so happy to be back helping others to help themselves.