Meet Donna
Every day, volunteers at Island Senior Resources transform lives through service, empathy, and action. Their efforts ensure seniors feel supported, valued, and connected. This series highlights those inspiring individuals who bring our mission to life. Today, we’re delighted to share the story of Donna, whose warmth and dedication uplift everyone around them.
When Donna’s husband was diagnosed with Dementia, she walked into a senior fair searching for support and left with something more: a new community. Through Island Senior Resources’ Caregiver Support Group and a six-week caregiver course, she discovered that she was not alone and began to feel deeply connected to others walking a similar path.
After her husband’s passing at the end of 2021, Donna carried her grief with quiet courage and a growing desire to reconnect with the world around her. In time, that desire led her back into the community, this time as a volunteer, ready to offer the same compassion and connection she had once received.
In early 2024, Donna joined ISR Connects – C3, a grant funded social engagement program designed to reduce isolation and bring older adults together through shared activities and meaningful contact. An avid walker and hiker, she offered to lead a weekly walking group at Trustland Trails in Langley, creating a space where no one walks alone, literally or figuratively.
By the summer of 2025, Donna’s passion for movement and well-being had grown into another role: teaching Staying Active & Independent for Life (SAIL) fitness classes at the ISR Bayview Center, an evidence-based program that helps older adults build strength, balance, and confidence. Drawing on her background as a teacher, graphic artist, publisher, and later as a nurse, she brings a rare blend of creativity, clinical insight, and heartfelt encouragement to every class and walk.
Donna often says she gravitates toward “connecting with people,” and her life reflects that truth. From hiking with Senior Striders to starting the ISR Connects – C3 walking group, playing games at the Bayview Center, and volunteering with Mother Mentors, she has slowly woven herself into the fabric of countless groups, friendships, and everyday moments of joy across Whidbey Island.
On Donna’s walks, no one is left to trail behind. Participants pair up, reconnect with old friends, or meet someone new, all while choosing a pace and route that works for them. As a retired physical rehab nurse, she is keenly aware of each person’s abilities and gently reminds them that this is a “social and supportive endeavor, not CrossFit.” Options for walking speeds, rest breaks, and gradual progress make it possible for people to grow stronger while feeling seen, encouraged, and safe.
For Donna, volunteering is about connection; meeting people, discovering shared experiences, and simply getting outside to walk and talk. She has found that it is easier than many expect to fit volunteering into everyday life. Her advice to others considering volunteering with ISR is simple and empowering; think about what you love to do, and chances are you can volunteer in a way that reflects that.
Donna describes Island Senior Resources as a place where someone can pick up the phone and say, “I’d like to get out there, what do you have available?” and know that a real person will help guide them to opportunities that fit. Programs like SAIL classes, community meals, and games offer that “kindergarten of retirement” feeling she jokes about. You may arrive not knowing anyone, but before long, you’ve found your people, your routine, and a renewed sense of belonging.
Donna’s journey from caregiver to community builder shows how healing and hope can grow from some of life’s hardest seasons. By turning her own search for support into opportunities for others to connect, move, and belong, she models how small, steady acts of service can transform both the giver and the receiver. Whether she is leading a walk, guiding a class, or simply sharing a laugh over a game, Donna reminds us that we are stronger together, and that it is never too late to step back into community, one meaningful connection at a time.