Teresa Dooley – January 2019 Volunteer

When did you became a volunteer for FIA and what volunteer positions have you chosen do?  
I attended an orientation session in October 2017.  Shortly after that I was trained to work at the Transportation Desk which is where I do most of my volunteer work.    I also serve on the Volunteer Committee and occasionally provide rides to care receivers.  And I have participated in several newsletter folding sessions!

Why did you come to FIA? 
Several members of my church (Epiphany) are FIA volunteers and all the feedback I heard from them about their volunteer experience was positive.

Who referred you?   What got you to contact us?
Sandy Holcomb is the FIA liaison with our church and for several years she and other FIA volunteers would share information about FIA at our church’s annual Fellowship Sunday event which showcased volunteer opportunities available within and outside of our church.

Were you looking?
I had been retired for 7 years and had finally reached the point where I was ready to do some meaningful volunteer work outside of what I had been doing at church.  FIA had always been at the back of my mind because of what I had learned about the organization through Sandy and other volunteers so I decided to check it out.

Words of Wisdom on life:
Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.

Have you lived in the area long? … Places you have lived?
I have lived in central Illinois (Urbana, Saybrook, Bloomington-Normal) my entire life.  I stayed in Bloomington-Normal after graduating from college and was lucky to not have to relocate with my career.

Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Saybrook-Arrowsmith High School and Illinois State University where I was an accounting major.

Jobs/ Careers?
After graduating from college, I began working at GTE which became Verizon in 2000 and I worked in several different areas of accounting and information management for 29 years.  The last 20 years of my career were spent managing various functional work groups within the Payroll Service Center which provided nationwide payroll support for all GTE/Verizon employees.

Hobbies/ past times/ passions?
I love watching most sports, especially St. Louis Cardinals baseball and NCAA men’s basketball where I root for ISU and University of Illinois (and against some other teams).  I also enjoy walking, working out at the gym, cooking and baking (which is why I have to walk and work out), traveling, and assembling jigsaw puzzles.

Family/ Pets?
My husband Jim and I have been married for 31 years.  We have 2 children, Aaron who lives in Denver and Jessica who lives in Laramie, WY.

What else would you like to tell us?
My volunteer work with FIA has been very rewarding.  I have developed new friendships with other volunteers and FIA staff and I enjoy talking with our care receivers when they call into the office.  I had no idea there was such a need in our community for the services that FIA provides and with our aging population that need will only get greater.  As a result, I recommend FIA when people I know are looking for volunteer opportunities and also when I hear someone talk about the difficulties they are having getting a loved one or friend to and from medical appointments.

Anything unique and unusual about yourself you would like to share?
I have a fascination with tornadoes and have often thought how cool it would be to be a storm chaser.