Opera, although not the most popular art form, brings life situations to its audience as well as beautiful music to calm and soothe the listener. There are many opportunities to volunteer in this field. I chose to be on the Board of Directors, assuming the roles of Treasurer and Finance Chair. As a retiree I felt that this would satisfy my desire to participate in furthering the art of opera and in the process provide me with the opportunity to use my financial and management skills in a way that satisfied my need to achieve.

As is often the case, I did not know, at the beginning, exactly what I was getting into. I learned this as fast as I could and soon realized how important financial management is to a nonprofit that must rely on donations from foundations, businesses and individuals to survive. Ticket sales to opera events do not at all cover the costs of producing them. The challenge of developing a budget and working with the staff to achieve the income goals was quite a challenge. That was right up my alley and gave me the desire to keep with it for 17 years. There were times when others in the organization thought we should just go out of business due to shortage of funding. To me this represented an even greater challenge to see that Tri-Cities Opera could survive. At this juncture, due to age, I have decided it is time to pass the torch.

As I reflect on this involvement, I can only look fondly on how this great opportunity gave meaning to my retirement. In being honored upon my second retirement, its true impact on the community and those involved as patrons, artists, staff and supporters was made known to me. I am confident that others can gain from volunteering as I did.