Five years ago, North Bethesda resident Della Stolsworth pioneered a Montgomery County program to link retired professionals to local nonprofits. She recently received recognition from first lady Laura Bush for her work with the Senior Corps’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. As the first lady pointed out, Stolsworth’s work at the Montgomery County Volunteer Center both saves nonprofits thousands of dollars in consulting fees and keeps seniors active.
Were you surprised to hear the first lady praise your work?
It was absolutely a complete surprise. I had spoken to someone from the White House and they had done an interview with me, asking if it would be all right if the first lady referenced the program itself in remarks. I had assumed it would be in a library opening or something along those lines, not an event like this [the ServiceNation Summit in New York City.
What is your professional background?
Absolutely nothing to do with volunteerism. My professional background is I was a [certified public accountant and financial analysis-type person.
What motivated you to create this kind of a program?
By virtue of looking around and seeing friends and colleagues who were retiring or contemplating it. Because I come from the financial world, most people I know were comfortable with planning their finances, so it was more of a question of “what else am I going to do with my life?” They didn’t really know what else to do besides work.
What kind of work do your volunteers do?
We have over 800 nonprofits that we work with, so it can be everything from computer and [information technology] stuff to human resources and training to interior design. Right now I actually have five different projects looking for cartoonists, if you can believe that.
What do you find most rewarding?
It is very rare in life where you get to make everyone happy at once: Through this work, the volunteers enjoy making a difference, and the nonprofits are thrilled with the work the volunteers do. They all leave happy, and that is a really good feeling.
