Donna Halsband continues service
By: Kurt Oberreither
-Senior Staff Writer-
On her first day of retirement, former STLCC-Meramec Service Learning Coordinator Donna Halsband was not “letting the moss grow under her feet.”
“A lot of people, when they retire, kind of fade into the woodwork,” Halsband said. “I’m not that kind of person.”
Most retirees, embarking on the next chapter of their lives, do not continue in their everyday routine. They might spend their first day away from the office swinging a golf club or traveling to an exciting destination — not Halsband. On her first day not reporting to the office of service learning at Meramec, Halsband was participating on Operation Food Search’s “Cooking Matters” program. Halsband taught the developmentally disabled and those from the food pantry to cook simple meals on a low budget. Halsband’s service after retirement does not stop there.
Since retiring from her position as the coordinator of Meramec’s service learning program — which focuses on integrating community service into student coursework —Halsband is a volunteer at a number of community service programs including Kirkwood Living Green, a nonprofit group concerned with protecting and conserving natural resources, and the Shepherd’s Center, which provides services for senior citizens.
“I’m doing what I want to do, when I want to do it, and as much as I want to do. And I don’t have to go to work, too,” Halsband said. “…Staying active means staying healthy; staying engaged mentally is something people need to do. I would be bored to death if I wasn’t doing this stuff.”
Although Halsband volunteers at four different organizations, she still visits Meramec to help her former assistant, Debbie Corson, transition to full responsibility of the program. In the fall, Halsband will teach the leadership cornerstone class at Meramec.
“I loved, loved, loved [coordinating service learning], but after you do something for 15 years, it’s time to do something new,” Halsband said.
However, Halsband said it is important that the service learning program continues to enrich student and faculty lives. Furthermore, she said community partners, like Operation Food Search are dependent on the program’s support. “If it went bye-bye, they would be bereft,” Halsband said.
Halsband said she is going to create some free time to spend time with friends and in her arts and crafts “woman cave.” Also, she said she fell in love with New Orleans on the annual trips service learning takes in the spring and plans on traveling back.
Halsband has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease which causes the airways in the lungs to narrow and requires the use of an oxygen tank. Although her oxygen tank will not allow her to travel by plane, Halsband said she would like to travel by train to Washington D.C. to visit her daughter.
“With my situation, with my COPD, I’ve been given a shorter life term,” Halsband said, “I want to enjoy myself and do some things I haven’t done before.”
