Volunteer Spotlight: Sr. Kathleen O’Connell

Sr. Kathleen O’Connell is a woman whose lifelong contribution to others serves as a model template for how we ought to live our lives: putting the needs of others before our own and sharing our talents generously with the world.

Every other week for the past three years, she can be found leading a discussion group at the residence where seniors from all walks of life live in a supportive senior environment that offers a long list of enriching programs and activities such as the one O’Connell runs called “Alpha Discussion.”

Using a microphone, a warm smile and passionate logic, O’Connell discusses all sorts of current event topics, both foreign and domestic, and encourages a lively debate among the seniors, something that she thinks is very important to their well-being.

“Many of the seniors living here are so grateful for the conversation, and I believe it is incredibly important for them to stay stimulated in their minds and share their thoughts and opinions,” said O’Connell, who could be seen passing the microphone around a room full of about 40 seniors who came out to hear her speak last Wednesday.

Having spent much of her professional life teaching religion, math and science at not only the in New Rochelle but other Ursuline schools up and down the eastern seaboard, O’Connell has garnered a wealth of experiences and has gotten to meet many people along the way.

She even spent three years after her retirement out in Great Falls, MT, teaching Bible study and sharing her knowledge and spirit with even more individuals.

Once she returned, she was encouraged by a few friends to give talks on local issues around New Rochelle and that has grown into her bi-weekly “Alpha Discussion,” as Willow Towers likes to call it.

“In the beginning I asked the seniors what they wanted to talk about, but it seemed as though they simply wanted me to lead them in a certain direction of discussion,” O’Connell recalled. “Once you stir up those embers, however, the seniors get going and will have plenty to say!”

As with many volunteers, O’Connell says that she gets more out of the discussions than she feels her audience does, however she is quick to say that the banter back and forth is “a beautiful exchange and when you interact with people, it can really open up new vistas for you in your understanding of life.”

For the gentle woman who was born and raised on Long Island, O’Connell has shown that, even in retirement, giving your time to others is just as important as when she was teaching at Ursuline years ago. For the seniors at Willow Towers, her discussions have become something to look forward to, especially for those who have always engaged in thought provoking discussions throughout their life.

“Many of the seniors are well-educated, some of which were doctors and lawyers professionally, so I really have to know what I am talking about or I’ll hear it from them,” O'Connell joked, with a big smile.