Aging with Purpose: Shepherd’s Center

When Sam Matthews retired in 2000 from Wachiovia (now Wells Fargo), retirement wasn’t part of his vocabulary. Having served on the board of a number of nonprofit organizations as a bank vice president, he thought that working for a nonprofit agency might be a good way to nourish his desire to serve.

“The Shepherd’s Center was looking for a program director at that time,” he says. “I was familiar with its mission and felt that this would be a good match.” Today more than 5,000 adults in Winston-Salem would agree.

He became the Center’s Executive Director in 2001. “Since that time our programs and services have expanded significantly as the needs of older adults increased. By working collaboratively with other aging services providers, we identified gaps in services as well as unique needs.”

Shepherd’s Center was located in a small, but aging, church on Ebert Street. “After about seven years, the church approached us as it was making decisions about the future,” he says. “In the fall of 2007, the church deeded the property to us. Since that time we have expanded and renovated the entire facility, most recently with a very successful capital campaign.”

And Shepherd’s Center has expanded, phenomenally… with four full time and nine part-time staff to handle an amazing variety of programs. Matthews attributes much of their success “to more than 300 active volunteers who are the ‘boots on the ground’ that make our work so meaningful.”

As a Senior Center of Excellence, certified by the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services, Shepherd’s Center serves more than 5,000 older adults each year through its Vital Living, Faith In Action, and Congregational Nurse and Health Ministry programs.

“The services we offer include transportation, minor home repair, volunteer visitation and respite care,” he says, “as well as over 50 activities per week which address health promotion and disease prevention.” The Center also coordinates a unique program that provides training and support for volunteer faith community nurses in numerous congregations in the community.

The annual used book sale, the major fundraiser, provides about 10 percent of its budget. Spring of 2017 will be the 30th anniversary of this event, one of the largest used book sales in the state. Beginning as a sidewalk sale at a local shopping center, it has grown to be a three-day event at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Community support from over 15 corporate sponsors ensures its success.

Since joining Shepherd’s Center, his views on aging have changed. “I now see the sense of well-being and purpose as well as social connections to be even more important in one’s life.”