The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond
Providing a Sense of Purpose

The Rev. Robert S. Seiler started the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond so retired people can be intellectually stimulated and volunteer to give a neighbor a ride to a medical appointment or to pick up groceries.
The Episcopal priest started thinking about the program in 1983, and it was chartered the next year. Not only was he the Shepherd’s Center of Richmond founder, he was its first executive director, a post he held for five years. Seiler, who will turn 90 on July 30, still takes classes and plays bridge at the center, plus serves on its board of directors.
The center started with two classes: “Behind the Headlines: What’s Really Happening in Richmond, Washington and Around the World” and “The 20th-Century Novel.” Such services as transportation and minor home repairs were provided by volunteers.

Decades of Growth
Now the center has about 500 members, 300 volunteers and only three paid employees: an executive director, a volunteer coordinator and an office manager.
In addition to drivers and handymen, the Shepherd’s Center coordinates the services of volunteer grocery shoppers, record keepers and friendly visitors for seniors in need.
Through its “Open University,” it offers a variety of classes and lectures throughout the year at four sites: St. Luke Lutheran Church in South Side, First Presbyterian Church in the West End, Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in North Side, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the far West End. All classes and services are available regardless of an individual’s faith.
Teachers, many of whom are retired college professors, are not paid.
“Teachers enjoy teaching older people because older people bring a lot of life experiences to their classes, and they ask hard questions,” Seiler said.
“When we started, we were providing the only educational opportunities directed at senior citizens,” he added. Now Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Richmond have programs.
The center also has occasional travel opportunities, such as an outing to Washington, D.C., to see “King Lear” at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in July and a trip to the Hudson River Valley in September.

Distinguished Service
“[Seiler’s] support and advice has been an immeasurable asset to the Shepherd’s Center officers and directors over the years,” James C. Harlan, chairman of the center’s recognition committee, said in presenting Seiler with the organization’s first distinguished service award.
He was honored in May during a 25th anniversary luncheon attended by about 200 people. Two other service awards also were presented. They went to Janyce H. Olson, who served as the center’s executive director for 22 years, and to Nathan Bushnell III, who has been president of the center, a board member, a volunteer and a lecturer.

Seminary in Virginia
Seiler was born in San Francisco and grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y. He attended the Virginia Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria and spent four years in the U.S. Army Corps during World War II.
In 1952 he came to Richmond and worked for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia for 11 years. During that time, he did jail and prison ministry and helped start a home for the elderly on Grove Avenue in 1957. The Grove Avenue residents were later moved to Westminster Canterbury in Richmond when it opened.
He also spent five years as director of Church World Service in the Philippines. And he was a Virginia delegate to the first White House Conference on the Elderly.

Humble and Enthusiastic
Seiler is “a very humble man,” said member and volunteer Betty Ann Dillon. “He’s always willing to work and wants to see things happening. He’s done a marvelous service for the community in getting the Shepherd’s Center started. He supported a good idea 25 years ago and had the energy and enthusiasm to get it going, and he’s never lost that enthusiasm.”
Age doesn’t stop people from learning, said Seiler, who lives with his wife, Peggy, at Westminster Canterbury. And volunteering at any age is important. “It fills a void for people. It makes you feel needed. It gives you a real sense of purpose.” The couple have served as Shepherd’s Center volunteers.
Dillon agreed. She has been a volunteer driver more than 10 years. “It’s such a useful thing. So many people have no family to help them. It’s very satisfying,” she said.
“Who knows, there may come a time when I am not able to drive and will need someone to drive me.”
Seiler sees more growth in the future for the center.
“I’m concerned about the Baby Boomers. Recent surveys show that 80 percent or more want to be able to stay in their own homes. If that’s true, the services of the Shepherd’s Center will be needed more than ever,” he said.

Learn More The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond (804) 355-7282 4900 Augusta Ave. #102 Richmond, VA 23230 www.richmondshepcntr.org Shepherd’s Centers of America www.shepherdscenters.org

Alberta Lindsey spent 42 years as a newspaper reporter. Now a freelance writer in Richmond, she enjoys reading mysteries, traveling and photography.