Name:  Sherry Oels

Age:  48

Hometown:  Alburtis

Family:  Sherry and her husband, Michael, have been married for 25 years.  They have two daughters, Lydia and Kristy, and two granddaughters, Cassidy and Makenzie. Sherry and Michael live in her grandparents’ home, which was built in the 1800s. Sherry’s mother was one of 17 children—16 of whom were born in the house.

Occupation:  Sherry is retired from Lehigh Valley Hospital after 19 years, where she worked as a unit clerk and secretary. She now babysits her two granddaughters and a few other children at her home.

Name of organization:  Alburtis Area Community Center, the founding of which was aided by Michael’s grandmother.

Describe what you do.  “I do several things, such as scheduling the hall rentals and organizing events throughout the year. I also make sure everything goes right at functions.

“We hold bingo every Friday from October to April. I am working on getting that running.

“Our next big event is the Fall Festival on Oct. 13. One of the big activities at the festival is the Cow Pie Bingo, and we use real cow pies.  There is a lot of planning and coordinating for these events.” 

Why and how long have you volunteered?  “I began volunteering with the community center after I received a call that help was needed on the fund raining committee.  It just went from there—secretary, president and now the scheduler.  I do a lot of things.”

Tell us a story about any experiences you may have had with this organization. 

“Cow Pie Bingo is rather interesting. It isn’t really bingo at all. I have no idea why it is called that. The game started about 11 years ago and is played in the baseball field using real cows. People pay $5 and pick a number.  The field is divided into 1000 squares. The cows roam the field and wherever they ‘go’ or leave a ‘cow pie’, that number wins.”

How can someone get involved with this group?  “We really need volunteers to help out. Just to help at one event is a big help.  Call [Sherry] at 610-966-4533 or come to a meeting on the third Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.  We meet at the community center.”

Do you know a volunteer who Patch should profile? Contact mariella.savidge@patch.com