Auxilian Retires After 50 Years Volunteering
Joan Armour has been volunteering for the Village for Families and Children through the Simsbury Auxiliary for, well, a long time. She joined the Auxiliary more than 50 years ago. How much more than 50 is open to debate. Mary Lou Patrina, the Auxiliary's official historian, is sure it is at least 51. Joan thinks it's less, but such minor details are easily lost over the decades.
Joan and her fellow Auxilians run the Second Chance Shop, which sells new and gently used clothes and some household goods with the profits benefiting the Village. [Click here for more information about the Auxiliaries.] The Simsbury Auxiliary is one of three auxiliaries that support the Village, the others are located in Glastonbury and Suffield. Joan is retiring this year so that she and husband Norm can move west to Montecito, California to be nearer some of their family. Now, as she and her husband get ready to move across the country, retiring is not exactly what they have in mind. Joan promises they won't forget the Village or the Auxiliary. The Village certainly won't forget Joan and thanks her for her years of service. Montecito is fortunate to have her and Norman join their community.
Joan and Norm come to Simsbury in 1957 with two young boys and one dog when it was still a "cow town" of about 20,000 people. The family grew to five children and assorted dogs and cats not to mention deer, skunks, raccoons and other rural wildlife. Norm finished law school and then began commuting to his job at Connecticut Bankers Trust. Joan, who once taught school, was a homemaker who enjoyed getting out of her routine as often as possible. The Simsbury Auxiliary, which had been established just a year or so before, was a great fit. For Joan it was a way to meet and be with friends while helping to build a better community.
Over the years, Joan has held just about every position in the Auxiliary from pricing manager to president. She is quick, though, to deflect any credit, joking that the group only turned to her for president after asking every other member first. Still, she speaks with pride of the progress the Auxiliary has made and the professionalism it brings to the Second Chance Shop. "We are today, the best we've ever been," she says.
What could once be described as a tag sale is today a full-fledged, thriving business. And one that now generates a considerable amount of support for the Village. After its first year, the Simsbury Auxiliary raised $400 for the Village. Last year, the group raised $73,000. That is a pretty impressive return. Indeed, over the decades, the Simsbury Auxiliary has raised close to $1.8 million to support the Village's work with children and families.
Meeting and talking to Joan and her fellow Auxilians, you cannot help but be impressed with their dedication and commitment. While Joan's tenure with the Simsbury Auxiliary may be the longest, she is by no means the only one who has worked with the group for many years. Mary Lou Patrina has been a member for 15 or 20 years.
It is also striking to see how demographic changes are reflected in the Auxiliary: When she joined, Joan was typical of the group's membership: a young woman right in the middle of raising her children. Today, the majority of the Simsbury Auxilians are women with grown children and the time to commit to working in the shop during business hours. With the disappearance of the one income family, few younger women can commit the kind of time the Auxiliary needs.
Fortunately for the Village, Joan and her colleagues have remained steadfastly loyal. While many such groups have faded away, the Village Auxiliary is strong. The Second Chance Shop has changed locations over the years - today it is on Station Street, as pretty a small town New England street as you could imagine - but the group's commitment to the Village is unwavering. In acknowledging Joan's 50 years of service, the Village gratefully acknowledges the service of all Auxilians. |
