Rich Township seniors director earns state award

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Rich Township Senior Center Director Sally Fuhrmann at the Rich Township Senior Center in Park Forest, Illinois, Friday, February, 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:09AM

Sally Fuhrmann found her career niche more than 25 years ago when her college internship placed her with Rich Township Senior Services.

“A month after graduation, I was hired,” Fuhrmann said.

Her first position as in-home services coordinator led to her present position in 1987 as senior services director.

She’s been overseeing the organization’s work ever since.

In acknowledgement of the services the program has provided on her watch, Fuhrmann recently received the 2011 Illinois Senior Services Director of the Year Award from the Illinois Township Association of Senior Citizens Services Committee.

“I was really very, very touched,” Fuhrmann said.

She was nominated by her staff of six who work with her daily and see her dedication first-hand.

“I thought she deserved it,” Cathy Gallus, one of Fuhrmann’s senior services field representatives, said.

“She’s the best director there is. She was in the big leagues and there were a lot of great nominees — but she was the best,” Gallus said.

Fuhrmann said she finds it easy to be dedicated to her work.

“I’m comfortable here, and I like what I’m able to do,” she said.

The work does have its challenges.

Fuhrmann oversees a number of services offered to all Rich Township seniors age 60 and older, as well as people with disabilities. The services include daily activities, a variety of classes, presentations and seminars, health screenings and podiatry clinics and monthly recreational trips, all intended to benefit the health and well-being of the participants.

“We take shopping trips, go to luncheons and to plays,” Fuhrmann said. “We’ve done the Chicago lunch and cruise, and we have a casino boat trip coming up.”

Because activities are designed with seniors in mind, the costs are kept as low as possible, Fuhrmann said. The organization makes no profit and frequently works with other agencies to plan outings.

One of Fuhrmann’s initiatives designed to keep seniors informed about activities is a monthly newsletter, “The Rich Years,” sent to more than 3,500 households.

An important component of senior services, Fuhrmann said, is the in-home meals program started in 1982. About 16 volunteers deliver daily home-style meals supplied by Catholic Charities.

“We have some very, very dedicated volunteers,” Fuhrmann said.

Her own dedication to service goes beyond her days at the senior center. Fuhrmann, a resident of Beecher, is a Washington Township board manager. She and her husband, Michael, are directors of the youth group at St. Patrick Parish in Momence.

“My husband thought it would be a good idea, partly because our son, Austin, is part of the youth group,” Fuhrmann said. “I was kind of panicked when he suggested it.”

Fuhrmann said it all worked out as she realized both age groups she was working with had similar priorities.

“I think both generations need a social aspect in their lives,” Fuhrmann said.

To that end, Fuhrmann said the Shirley J. Green Senior Center offers many opportunities for seniors to socialize.

“I think that sociability is just as important as the programs,” Fuhrmann said.

She said some seniors have told her they “don’t know what they would do if it weren’t for the senior services program.”

Fuhrmann intends to keep the seniors worry-free. The program has grown considerably, especially since the facility moved to 297 Liberty Drive, Park Forest, in 2003.

“It was a big challenge, moving from a 1,600-square-foot former Pizza Hut building to 6,700 square feet,” Fuhrmann said. “With that move, a lot of programs have expanded. There were challenges, but a lot of benefits.”

Longtime volunteer Marliese Thomas, 89, thinks Fuhrmann is one of the benefits seniors get when they come to the center.

“It’s wonderful that she won the award,” Thomas said. “She’s the most pleasant person you could want to have around. She’s always smiling.”

For more information about the Rich Township senior programs, call (708) 748-5454 or visit www.richtownship.org.