After Retirement: Finding Purpose in Volunteerism, the 'Backbone of America'

Pat Worthington's view of volunteerism is that is serves as "the backbone of America."

With volunteers, she said, "you can accomplish anything."

As a former workaholic, whose life was built around company commitments — and not so much the company of friends — Worthington found in the unknown a sense of place and purpose after retirement as a community volunteer.

Worthington is the volunteer coordinator at the in Brandon, which shares space in the Sandy Rodriguez Center with the .

She lines people up to serve as ushers and hosts for live children theater and to staff the Pat’s Corner gift shop, named posthumously for an early supporter of Center Place, Patricia B. Odiorne.

"It's not hard at all," Worthington said of her work Dec. 5 at the center's appreciation luncheon for volunteers. "You tell them you need help and people show up."

Brandon Patch presented some thoughts,and asked some questions, as Worthington lunched with volunteers at Center Place.

Brandon Patch: What got you interested in volunteering for Center Place?

• Worthington: I had worked for 16 years and I didn’t have any friends. I came here [to Center Place] one night, for Bunco. I saw an ad in the paper, I had never done it before and I didn’t know anybody.

Brandon Patch: So, you just showed up, and now you’re keeping records and schedules for the volunteers?

• It kind of snowballed. It started in the gift shop, where I volunteered, and then they needed additional help for this and that. The more time I spent here the more it became like a family.

Brandon Patch: What do you like about Center Place?

• Worthington: I love everything about it. I love the people. I love the services we provide to the community. I love the people from the community who come here and I feel like I’m contributing to my community. I bring my grandchildren here. My grandchildren feel at home here.

Brandon Patch: You said you worked for 16 years?

• Worthington: I was a title agent, in Sun City Center and in Tampa. I was very busy. It was go to work, come home, have dinner, go to sleep, wake up, go to work. That was it.

Brandon Patch: What’s your take on volunteerism.

• Worthington: I’ve been a volunteer my whole life. We are the backbone of America. We are the ones who keep things rolling along. If you have the volunteers you can accomplish anything.

Brandon Patch: What do you like best about Brandon?

• Worthington: It seems funny to say it, with all the growth going on every day, but it has a small-town feeling to it.

Brandon Patch: Times are tough for so many people. Can Brandon survive?

• Worthington: I think so. I do believe people need to and they need to support groups like Center Place. They are the community, they are what we are.