blue water woman--fall 2017--final

full-time
passion
by patti samar
mary taylor
8 FALL 2017 BlueWaterWoman.com
What started as a part-time job became a full-time passion for Mary
Taylor, 57, of Port Huron.
That passion was recently rewarded when Taylor, assistant director of the
Council on Aging of St. Clair County (COA), was named the 2017 recipient
of the Laura Newsome Legacy Award by Sanborn Gratiot Memorial
Home, which is managed by Blue Water Developmental Housing, Inc.
(BWDH).
Taylor has worked at the COA for 30 years and has served in a number
of roles during her tenure with the agency. She was honored at the annual
Sanborn Gratiot Memorial Home luncheon held in June.
The legacy award, named for COA retired executive director Laura
Newsome, is presented each year to “an individual or organization residing
within the Blue Water Area of Michigan who, via their professional
affiliation or volunteer efforts, or due to its mission and services, has
improved and enriched the lives of seniors in and around St. Clair County,
Michigan.”
“Mary Taylor is dedicated to improving the lives of senior citizens in
our community and we are honored to be able to recognize her many
efforts given over a number decades,” said Kathy Swantek, executive
director of BWDH. “Her passion for serving this population is more than
commendable.”
Taylor said she is humbled by the award. “It has been surreal,” she said,
noting that just a couple of years ago she helped put together the original
award that honored Newsome. “It’s a very humbling experience.
“You don’t do this job looking for accolades,” she said. “You do this job
because you want to make a difference. Coming into this agency and being
able to draw a paycheck for helping people? Not everybody gets to do that.”
During her tenure with the agency, Taylor has been responsible for raising
tens of thousands of dollars to support activities that benefit seniors; she
has coordinated the work between the COA and the Area Agency on Aging
1-B to ensure that all grants are properly reported and audited; she served
as the liaison between the agency and the county emergency management
office; and she serves on the Community Services Coordinating Body,
among other duties.
“It allowed, at times, for me to have my family working with me,” she
said, noting that her husband and two (now-grown) children volunteered
for a variety of projects. “My kids thought everyone made turkey for
Thanksgiving for 400 people,” she said with a laugh.
“But they are very comfortable with senior citizens now, which was a side
benefit. They had a whole bunch of grandmas and grandpas.”
She said keeping seniors connected with their families has been a priority
at the COA. “For a lot of them, their family doesn’t live here anymore so
Skyping or Facebook is important to keep up with family,” she said. “We
have classes on how to use their smart phones and computers.”
Working in human services was not part of Taylor’s original career
plans. In fact, she trained to work very closely with animals. A graduate
of Michigan State University, she majored in public affairs management,
which was a part of the college of agriculture. She has minors in finance
and animal selection and genetics.
After graduation, she ended up working for the American Guernsey
Cattle Club. Taylor had long been involved in 4-H and found working with
genetic testing and engineering in the 1980s fascinating.
“Dolly the sheep had been cloned and we laid down the groundwork for
what would happen with (cattle) embryo transport,” she said. “They were
breeding for specific things, like for more milk output. I never in my life
expected what we had done with cows would happen with people.”
Taylor has also been an active and involved member of the community.
For 35 years she has served as a 4-H leader, has been involved with Knights
of Columbus Daughters, and she has been involved in the Walk Out of the
Darkness event to help prevent suicide.
“I work with youth in my free time and I work with seniors here,” she
said. “I enjoy getting the kids together with the seniors. Anybody who has
the chance to work with today’s youth realizes we aren’t going to be that
bad off. They just need someone who will listen to them.”