Michigan Volunteer Builds Community Through Service and Learning

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sharon Wade. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Sharon Wade is spending her 82nd birthday at Taste of OLLI, an annual event hosted by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Western Michigan University (OLLI at WMU) to recruit members and introduce instructors of courses offered in the fall. The organization is part of a network of 125 Osher Institutes on college campuses across the United States designed for adults 50 and older who love to learn to volunteer, take classes and socialize with fellow members.  

Sharon has been a passionate member and volunteer for OLLI since 2011. After a career as an international legal assistant with the company that is now Pfizer and raising two sons as a single mom, she fills her time with learning, having fun and supporting others. She enjoys having her two grandsons and great-grandson living nearby and gets together with friends at least once a month to play games or go out to eat. But it was her interest in genealogy that initially led her to take a class at OLLI at the invitation of a friend. 

“I was an events and travel coordinator for a singles group that had gone by the wayside. It had about 400 members at one time, back when I was still working. That dissolved, I was retiring and I needed something else to keep me busy,” she recalls. 

One thing led to another, and she volunteered to plan educational trips on the Travel Committee and organize four to six gatherings annually for nearly 900 members on the Events Committee. Now, she serves on the Membership Marketing and Executive Committees increasing membership and visibility, and she has been the chair of the Events Committee for nearly a decade. And she continues to learn.

“The organization itself is about lifelong learning and learning for fun. There are no tests or homework. It’s a lot more fun than it was in school. Our instructors teach their passion and everybody’s a volunteer.” 

Sharon notes that she’s taken as many as 10 classes in a semester, bemoaning the ones she can’t take because of conflicts. In short, they’re not short on options, and Sharon stays busy.

“She has impeccable organizational skills, and because of her organizational skills, she can do all the things she does,” Dr. Toni Woolfork-Barnes, director of OLLI, praises. “I think our OLLI members and maybe others are inspired, because as we age, we don’t have to stop living we just have to do things differently. Sharon is an example of that.” 

When Sharon started, there were only three events, one of which was a meeting. Today, aside from Taste of OLLI, the largest event of the year, she and her team plan book swaps, game days and recruiting events. Many times, the goal is simply to enjoy being social. 

“Socialization is so important for people, especially seniors,” she explains. “There are so many studies that show that socialization has mental and physical benefits.” 

Sharon’s committee also coordinates the Senior Readers’ Theater program. After seeing a similar group from South Haven, OLLI members wanted to form their own Senior Readers’ Theater group, and she took the lead in getting things started. Once an actor, she now acts as stage manager accompanying the group on performances around the area. They present relatable issues like dealing with aches and pains and giving up driving with humor and grace. What was originally conceived as an intergenerational tool to help healthcare students better understand older patients has become an entertainment and outreach program as well. 

“It’s bringing more visibility to OLLI at WMU, because we have organizations and senior-serving communities that are reaching out to us and inviting us to perform for their residents,” Toni says. 

Soon, they’ll also be performing at Lakeland Correctional Facility as part of a new venture with WMU’s inmate degree program. The students there will follow OLLI’s performance with one of their own and end with a group reflection. 

Early in her tenure, after seeing a list of needed supplies from the Kalamazoo Literacy Council, Sharon offered to collect them at OLLI events. The Council teaches health and job literacy, but they started with teaching adults to read so they could read to their children. It began a long and fruitful alliance between the organizations that earned OLLI at WMU the Literacy Advocate of the Year Award in 2021 and, through Sharon’s leadership, was the beginning of OLLI Cares: Fill a Trunk. 

During the pandemic, when people were struggling the most, OLLI Cares parked six cars, trunks open, in a parking lot. They each represented a different community partner people could donate to, including the Council.  

“People had been downsizing and cleaning out their homes during COVID anyway, so they had the opportunity to bring all of these donations in a safe way,” Sharon says of what became an annual event. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a lot of isolation, especially amongst the older community, and while Sharon and fellow volunteers got creative when events couldn’t be held in person, OLLI took a hit. Looking ahead, Sharon hopes to boost membership to pre-pandemic level, a number that continues to increase each year with her efforts. 

“A lot of the things we do, we could not do without our members. And Sharon is one who will go out and invite people. She’s constantly engaging people,” Toni adds. “She just has a beautiful personality.” 

OLLI is something Sharon is committed to for the long-haul. The last 13 years have led to a deeper understanding of the organization and a seat steering it into the future. 

“I’ve gained a lot of wonderful friendships. It keeps my mind active. It keeps me physically active simply because I’m going all the time,” she states. “I just enjoy it. I enjoy being around people. I like parties, and this is like planning parties all the time.” 

Sharon knew right away it was something she wanted to be a part of. And even now, on her birthday, she looks forward to celebrating with friends as they contemplate this fall’s classes. She looks forward to celebrating with OLLI. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Sharon? Find local volunteer opportunities.