Mairead Moore Foley ’09

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2009

Core Team Leader, Senior Citizen Games, and Little Brother/Little Sister

What involvement did/do you have with MOVE? What program did/do you volunteer with and/or lead? What years?
I was a Core Team member for the senior citizens and did the Little Brother/Little Sister program. I did a few of the other programs too, but these were the ones I was most committed to.

What’s your MOVE story?
MOVE was such a significant part of my life at SMC. I started volunteering in my freshman year and continued through my senior year. It truly gave meaning to my time and was something I looked forward to.

Every week… I always loved playing BINGO and Kings in the Corner, and the residents were always teaching us a new game I hadn’t heard of or played before. Certainly for me, one of the highlights was the senior citizen prom and getting to dance with all the local seniors from the nursing homes. Seeing the smiles on all their faces was priceless—they enjoyed it as much as we did. They taught us how to dance and shared their stories of the good old days. I do remember one year we misplaced one of the seniors—he wandered around campus, and we had to form a search party to find him… but we all remained calm and located him, and had a good laugh after.

In what ways did/does MOVE impact you?
MOVE was a volunteer role, but being a part of it was so fun; it wasn’t work, it wasn’t something I dreaded—I always looked forward to participating. It taught me about patience, leadership, and putting others first.

If you are an alumni, what influence does MOVE continue to have on your life today?
I help to run our SMC Club in NYC, and every year I try to incorporate some aspect of giving back, whether it’s by collecting hats/scarves/socks or going out into the community to volunteer. I honestly wish I could do more, and often think how “easy” SMC made it for us to get involved and engaged with the community.