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05/10/2017 08:30 AMIf residents go to The East Haven Senior Center, they will notice a nice display of flowers outside and in the atrium. They can thank William “Bill” Gormley for keeping the place looking nice and inviting.
“He is the custodian at the Senior Center, but he is more than a custodian,” says Senior Center Director Jan Lougal. “He is ‘the all-around guy’ for the seniors.”
Bill began working at the Senior Center a few years ago. He moved to California after graduating high school, where he worked in oil fields as an offshore driller, and came back to Connecticut to be with his father who had gotten sick.
When he got back, he began working in construction and joined the labor union. Bill says he was working on side jobs such as painting houses when he became aware of the opening at the Senior Center.
“I just really took to this place,” Bill says, “I like helping the older people.”
Bill acknowledges he goes above and beyond what his job description requires. He will donate his time for special events, such as Bingo, where he will set up and take down anything that is required.
He says he wants to spruce up the place so people will enjoy coming. It hasn’t gone unnoticed, as seniors and Lougal appreciate how Bill will take the initiative to do more than what he is asked.
“It does my heart good,” says Bill, “That’s why I do it.”
It is also a good job for Bill personally, as he likes to be moving and active during the day.
“In here I could go stir crazy if I’m not constantly doing something,” Bill says with a laugh.
One of the things Bill will do is bring seniors pillows if they are uncomfortable.
“I know who needs one pillow, who needs the other type of pillow, stuff like that,” say Bill, “I just try to keep everybody happy.”
He even joked that the hardest part of the summertime is seeing who’s hot and who’s cold in the building, and keeping the air conditioning at the right temperature.
A reason why Bill is so helpful and enthusiastic about his job is because he understands that it’s the younger generation’s turn to look after and take care of senior citizens.
Always eager to help out and give back, Bill says he has been involved with organizing activities at the center for the past few months. He will help plan different functions, such as a pizza afternoon, bringing a band in, or a special event on a holiday.
He wants to help bring new faces in because he has noticed a decline in attendance over the past few years, and wants to get more people involved.
“This place was full three or four years ago,” Bill says, “Now we’re lucky to get 40 or 50 people for Bingo.”
Bill says his favorite part of the job on a day-to-day basis is getting to interact with those who do come to the Senior Center. He says he gets attached to the people, and it’s difficult to hear that someone has passed or has gotten hurt or too sick to come anymore.
“That is the hardest part of the job,” Bill says.
Senior citizens are a demographic Bill cares about and enjoys helping, and he has a message to anyone looking to help that demographic as well.
“It doesn’t have to be a lot, they appreciate everything you do for them,” Bill says.