Shelly Schnee is ready to enter a stage of life she’s come to know well through her work – retirement.
Friday, Jan. 26 marked Schnee’s last day on the job at Century House, where she has served as the city’s program coordinator of seniors services.
“Magical,” she said, when asked to describe her work at Century House. “The best thing about working here is the seniors that come here.”
Schnee said society sometimes seems to forget that seniors have a lifetime of experience and skill-building to contribute as they age. During her 18 years at Century House, she’s seen those skills an experiences put into action time and time again.
“It’s magical that I can work with people who have these careers and experiences, and then they want to give back,” she said. “To be a facilitator of that has been magical.”
Schnee started working with the City of New Westminster in 2006 as a volunteer coordinator at Century House. The newly created full-time position was half-time coordinating volunteers at Century House and half-time coordinating volunteers for the 2010 Olympics, including the Torch Relay that passed through New Westminster.
“Century House has a huge need for volunteer coordination. So that kind of became my whole job,” she said. “And then in 2010, I became that programmer, which is now called program coordinator.”
As the city’s program coordinator for seniors services, Schnee’s job has included managing the registered programs at Century House, the centre’s community relationships, and the city’s relationship with the Century House Association. Her passion has become what folks at Century House have taken to calling “third-way” programming.
“It's not necessarily a city program, it's not a Century House Association program, and so, for lack of a better word, some of us call it third-way programming,” she explained. “It just means seniors-led programming, supported by the city. … That’s been my passion.”
Through that programming, Schnee has enjoyed watching seniors lead and facilitate programs, and teach and share their skills and knowledge with their others.
Schnee said there have been numerous highlights during her time at Century House, including LEADS ( a leadership training program for seniors), Meeting in the Middle (an intergenerational leadership program for youths and seniors), and Heart to Art (an intergenerational art program for seniors and youths). She said it brings joy to her heart to see the way seniors have transformed a plot of grass at Century House into a learning garden overseen by Century House Association members.
Having worked with seniors for years, Schnee said she’s ready to embark on the “third act” of life for herself. While she’s retiring from the City of New Westminster, Schnee isn’t going to be idle – she plans to do some cycling and camping and to look for a part-time job – one that is both meaningful and fun.
“I do feel that there's something else for me to do” she told the Record. “I just haven't figured it out.”
While she was a bit weepy on her final day of work at Century House, the Vancouver resident hasn’t ruled out a return to her stomping grounds in New West.
“I keep saying: Why would I not come back to the best seniors centre in the Lower Mainland? … I won't be a city staff person, I'd be a volunteer, a participant,” she added. “I don't know what the future holds for me. But I could definitely see coming back to Century House and volunteering or playing cards or singing.”
