Sharon Howard

Volunteer Coordinator

Giving back to the greater community where I was raised and educated seemed like the best goal to pursue after retiring from a 38-year career in higher education administration at Wheaton College in Norton, MA. At Wheaton, I was responsible for a team of colleagues who supported the work of thousands of volunteers across the country. These volunteers stayed connected to their alma mater by serving on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, recruiting prospective students, planning events and reunions, and raising unrestricted, annual financial support for the College.

Finding a way to give back on the Upper Cape drew me immediately to the Falmouth Service Center because it has the reputation for providing its clients with much-needed assistance and its volunteers with extremely rewarding service. It wasn’t too long before I was volunteering in the pantry, and then filling in for the Financial Assistance team when they needed a substitute.

I was thrilled when Brenda Swain asked me to consider becoming the first-ever paid volunteer coordinator in FSC’s history. Not only did this new position draw on my many years of supporting volunteers, but it also provided me with the opportunity to do something meaningful in this remarkable community of which my husband and I are now a part. FSC volunteers are the heart and soul of the many, many programs and activities that so effectively serve our clients; it is indeed a privilege and an honor to support the work of such an extraordinarily talented and dedicated volunteer force.