Her formal job title is “receptionist,” but no one here thinks of
Cynthia that way. Almost as soon as she arrived here in 2013, as an AARP
volunteer, she was ready to take on bigger things.
“Just answering phones seemed boring--after a few weeks, I asked if
there was anything else I could help with,” says the Reading native.
Oh yes. There was. And in 2014, she went from volunteer to employee.
These days, Cynthia, who turns 60 this month, does more than answer the
phone. She enters intake data for the shelter as well as schedules pick-up
times for community members who wish to make donations. Scheduling pickups is
more challenging than it sounds, Cynthia says. Often, it requires patience and
diplomacy, skills she honed at her previous job-- working for an answering
service.)
Cynthia also is the office’s unofficial morale-booster. It’s a rare day
when she doesn’t tape a joke or inspiring quote to the front-office door for co-workers,
clients, and delivery guys alike to enjoy.
When she’s not at work, this avid Atlanta Falcons fan watches football, writes short
stories, and dotes on her nieces, nephews, God-son, and Yorkie terrier, Brooklyn.
But come Monday, she’s back at her desk early, her morning joke already taped
to the door.
“I love the people I work with,” says Cynthia. “Even when I was just a
volunteer, they made me feel welcome. Now it seems like I have been
working with them for longer than three years. I also have learned about the
different facets of Opportunity House. Before I got here, I had no idea that it
was much more than a shelter.” We’re lucky to have a “receptionist” who’s so
much more.