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Sally O’Dwyer built network of volunteers for Catholic Charities

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Sally O’Dwyer, director of volunteers for Catholic Charities, chats with Art Bennett, president and CEO, before leaving for Boulder, Colo. Her last day is Feb. 26. ELIZABETH A. ELLIOTT | CATHOLIC HERALD

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When Sally O’Dwyer, director of volunteers for Catholic
Charities, saw the job posted for an English as a Second Language coordinator
position, something told her she had to have the job.

Looking back, O’Dwyer said it wasn’t college or any professional
role, but working as a waitress at IHOP where she befriended the busboys and
cooks.

“They had no future whatsoever, they didn’t speak the language
and were disconnected,” she said. “It didn’t sit well with me.”

It led her to start taking Spanish classes and studying in
Mexico.

“It was always such a deep pain to see those people struggling,”
she said. “So when I saw this job I just knew it was for me.”

O’Dwyer joined Hogar Immigrant Services as an ESL coordinator in August,
1999. She is leaving the Diocese of Arlington, where she has worked for nearly
20 years to move to Boulder, Colo., because of her husband’s job. Her last day
was Feb. 26.

Art Bennett, president and CEO of Arlington diocesan Catholic
Charities, said in a letter to colleagues that O’Dwyer brought a positive
attitude to all ventures and prospective plans.

“She is a tremendous motivator and I’ve never met anyone,
anywhere, who could get more energy and creativity from volunteers,” said
Bennett. “She is never afraid to ask for what Catholic Charities clients need,
and if she is disappointed it never lasts and she is off to explore the next
good idea to make something good happen.”

Bennett said he was skeptical of O’Dwyer’s focus on volunteers
when he first arrived, but she converted him.

“Some of the most incredible aspects of Catholic Charities bear
this out — the Mother of Mercy Clinic, the volunteer leadership of the Catholic
Charities Ball, our education programs, the nightly meal at Christ House, the
volunteering board of directors, the Knights of Columbus participation and
heavy-lifting for the St. Lucy Project. The list goes on,” he said. “So now we
have over 4,000 volunteers in our Samaritan database as a testament to her
transformative vision of volunteer impact.”

When O’Dwyer started working at Hogar, there were 75 volunteers
and 300 students. She grew it to 350 volunteers and 2,300 students.

“I started to see the power of volunteerism because I was working
with the immigrant community that didn’t have any language skills,” she said.
“The volunteers flourished and felt like they were living their faith. The
immigrants were happy and learning and improving. They also were learning there
were people that cared about them.”

O’Dwyer said the teachers were volunteers and the classroom was a
friendly place, where immigrants were valued.

“I saw Catholic Charities as facilitating an opportunity for
people to fulfill their obligations as Catholics,” she said.

Following her work at Hogar, O’Dwyer went on to become associate
director and then vice president of Community Services.

“I enjoyed working with the program directors and giving them
support,” she said. “Working with people in need is really hard, and there’s
that constant reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing. I always remember
that when we are doing God’s will we can’t go wrong.”

O’Dwyer said she keeps that in the front of her mind. “We pray
that we are doing God’s will every day,” she said. “We think about if it is
helpful or not to an individual. Are we managing those boundaries?”

O’Dwyer said placing volunteers is challenging, but there are 145
different volunteer opportunities.

“It’s Catholic Charities’ responsibility and calling to engage
the community in what we’re doing,” she said. “We reach 21 counties. With our
small staff, if we didn’t use volunteers, how would we be able to reach those
people?”

She finds support from parishes.

“I grew the number of volunteers through extensive outreach
and thanks to the parishes who advertise for us,” she said. “The
parishes are our biggest supporters in finding volunteers.”

When O’Dwyer meets with volunteers, many feel they want to help
but may not know the best way. “So many people are called to serve,” said
O’Dwyer. “It’s our job to find where they fit in our programming, how to work
together to best serve others. It brings me great joy when I see the volunteer
working with a client and they are both being helped.”

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