Sharon Westfield
Westfield is the activities coordinator for the Bradley Cleveland Senior Activity Center. Field trips to wineries and cheese factories, formal balls, Red Hat breakfasts and birthday parties galore. This is just a taste of what members of the senior center get to experience, which is due largely to Westfield’s planning.
“I’ve been here since 2005 and started as the crafts coordinator,” said Westfield.
“I enjoy my job here. I believe anything we can do to service our seniors we should. My job is to serve them and I enjoy coordinating fun things for them to do,” she said.
Westfield was born and raised in Cleveland. She graduated from Bradley Central High School and then, Tomlinson College.
As a child, Westfield’s mother worked in the community and her father ministered a Baptist church in Dalton, Ga.
“I watched them [parents] for years, particularly my father, help people in the community. I never thought I would be doing the same thing all these years later,” said Westfield.
Westfield married right after high school and had three children: Zadok, Zack and Zatonda.
“I was a stay-at-home mother for the longest time and then my husband and I divorced,” she said.
After her divorce, Westfield began working at the Cleveland Housing Authority as a Vista volunteer and program coordinator.
“I just feel like at that time that’s where the Lord put me, because I just felt like, well, I was going through a hard time at that point in my life,” she said.
As program coordinator for the Cleveland Housing Authority, Westfield was responsible for organizing programs for residents in 430 apartments.
“It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed working with the people,” she said.
After five years with the Cleveland Housing Authority, Westfield became involved with the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland and the Weed and Seed Program.
Weed and Seed is a nationally recognized program that aims to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity in communities. The approach is two-pronged, with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperating in “weeding out” violent offenders and drug dealers and community-based organizations “seeding” human service and neighborhood restoration programs.
“By being involved with Weed and Seed, it put me right back into working with public housing. I helped start programs for kids and young women,” she said.
Westfield also independently established the JOY (Just Over You) Fellowship program.
“JOY Fellowship is a group of women who reach out to the community service agencies,” she said.
Women from a variety of backgrounds volunteer their time to agencies in need.
“The unique thing about JOY Fellowship is you have all these different personalities and nearly all of them belong to a different church. But, we all get along so well together and respect each other. If you were in JOY Fellowship and had an event going on at your church, we would all support it,” she said.
Today, Westfield spends her days coordinating a variety of fun activities including social events, educational programs, field trips and games for the senior center members.
“I feel like I’ll always be there to service people in any way I can. That’s my life, I love it,” she said.
Inset Quote:
