Transportation Coordinator Carol Galante-Dias, COA Director Eric Poulin, and Outreach Coordinator Mary Bessey (l-r) sit under an artistic rendering of the COA building, hand stitched by Bessey’s sister Tina Bessey.
When Mary Bessey retired from her role as SHINE (Sharing the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone) regional director in Southeastern Massachusetts in 2018, she had plans for her life that didn’t include getting another job.
“I never planned on working again. I mean I went and bought two goats,” she said, laughing. “They were supposed to be 4-H projects for one of my granddaughters.”
But life had other plans.
First a healthcare organization reached out and asked her to work for them for a few months. Then, in 2021, the Rochester Council on Aging asked her to be on their board.
Bessey had been on the board before, lives across the street from the Senior Center, and knew the center well through her mother and sister.
So, she said yes.
“My mom and sister were here just about every day,” she said. “It was an amazing place for them.”
A few years later, Bessey’s COA role increased when she and three other volunteers – Patricia Joy, Sue Norton, and Marjorie O’Brien – stepped up to help Lorraine Thompson, the COA’s recently retired outreach coordinator when she was out temporarily.
And that led to a new job, her current part-time role as the COA’s new outreach coordinator which she began doing in early August.
Bessey’s background working with seniors, being part of SHINE, and knowing the COA so well has helped her pick up the role quickly. She is now learning more about other less familiar programs, like fuel assistance, food banks, and more.
One of her favorite parts of the position, she said, is visiting older town residents and helping those who may be stuck at home get out of the house, whether for visiting the Senior Center or a little shopping or sightseeing.
“Just going out and making contact with all these people, we’ve been able to talk them into (coming in), saying, ‘Gee, at least come for breakfast. Let’s get out of the house.’ And we have a van that picks them up for breakfast.”
COA Director Eric Poulin said several board members, including Bessey, had done great work in early 2024 to reach more older Rochester residents.
“One of my goals was to increase the amount of outreach we were doing and they definitely did that,” he said about the volunteers. “The number of phone calls, the number of home visits, everything was going up and Mary we could see was the shining star, seemed to be enjoying it, and doing really well.”
Poulin expressed appreciation for Thompson’s 11 years of serving as the COA’s outreach coordinator and said he encouraged Bessey to apply for the position, based on her knowledge of the community and people, her professional contacts, and the skills she brings to the position through her work with SHINE and others.
“It really was a perfect fit for us,” he said.
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