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Community Corner

Meet Elaine Sweet, Volunteer

"I like working with people. I like to feel that I am doing something for others."

Elaine Sweet is not afraid to get involved. Since her retirement, she has volunteered her time for a variety of local organizations and often finds herself taking on a leadership role.

Timothy Becker: Elaine, you are a volunteer for many local organizations. What are you involved in lately?

Elaine Sweet: I am currently President of the Manchester Community College Organization of Active Adults. I also serve as Secretary of the Assumption Church Parish Council. I am a member of the Assumption School Board and I'm Vice-President of the Assumption Church Ladies Guild. I'm a Charter Member of the Royal Scarlet Gadabouts and currently serve as scribe (secretary). I'm a Charter member of the American Red Cross Retiree Association and served as the first President. I currently serve as Treasurer. I'm a Friend of the House Volunteer for the Bushnell and serve as an usher. For 10 years, I was a volunteer at Manchester Hospital. I ran the coffee cart in the morning and was an escort messenger in the afternoon.

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Timothy Becker: What motivates you?

Elaine Sweet: I like working with people. I like to feel that I am doing something for others.

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Timothy Becker: So I take it you're not a homebody?

Elaine Sweet: I like being out and doing something. I like a challenge.

Timothy Becker: When did you retire?

Elaine Sweet: I retired in 1994.

Timothy Becker: What was your day job?

Elaine Sweet: I was office manager for the American Red Cross for 37 years. Manchester had it's own chapter until 1963. We then merged with the Hartford Chapter and we became a branch office. In 1991 we were closed in Manchester. I worked in Windsor Locks and then in Putnam.

Timothy Becker: Where you always involved in volunteer work?

Elaine Sweet: Yes, in my position with the Red Cross I was always involved with recruiting, training, and assigning volunteers. I was always a people person. I found it exciting. I was involved with the Red Cross blood program which was new at the time. Doctors had discovered a way to utilize freshly drawn blood in surgical procedures. That is when bloodmobiles started to appear. The whole blood (program) made heart surgery possible.

Timothy Becker: Did you grow up in Manchester?

Elaine Sweet: I was born and brought up in New Haven. We moved to Manchester when my husband began working in Hartford in 1956. That is when I started with the Red Cross.

Timothy Becker: Weren't you ahead of your time as a woman in the workforce in the 1950s ?

Elaine Sweet: I started part-time and was later offered a full-time position.

Timothy Becker: What was the office automation like at the time?

Elaine Sweet: We had three telephones, three manual typewriters, and a filing cabinet. There was no air conditioning and the office was often cold in the winter when the lines from the outdoor fuel tank would freeze.

Timothy Becker: When did you get a computer in the office?

Elaine Sweet: We got out first computer in 1993. Before that everything was done by hand.

Timothy Becker: Getting back to your current volunteer work, what is the Organization of Active Adults?

Elaine Sweet: The organization is for people over fifty. One of the main advantages of membership is the association with Manchester Community College. We offer a tuition rebate toward the cost of credit free courses at the college. Our monthly speaker programs are held in the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium at the College. The programs range from thought provoking speakers, musical performances, humorists, and dramatic performances. We meet form September to May. Many members also take advantage of the wide ranging travel offerings through the organization.

Timothy Becker: What are the Royal Scarlet Gadabouts?

Elaine Sweet: We meet monthly at the Senior Center in Manchester. We wear our official regalia: red hat, purple dress, and red shoes. We enjoy each others company. In addition to the fun, we are collecting a variety of items for our troops overseas.

Timothy Becker: What are you planning for the future?

Elaine Sweet: I hope that I can continue doing everything that I am doing now. I want to continue doing good things for people. I thrive on being busy.

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