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08/16/2017 08:30 AMLorraine Hill has been a dedicated volunteer for the First Church of Christ, Congregational in Clinton, for as long as she can remember, but for her, deciding to step up and help was a simple decision.
“This is the most important thing I’ve done, volunteering for the church and town,” she says.
Lorraine, who grew up in Clinton, has been a member of the church since she was young. Many of her important life events, such as her confirmation, wedding, and baptisms of her children, have taken place at the church. This year, the significant event isn’t hers, but for the church itself: It celebrates 350 years in Clinton.
While many of her contributions to the community are behind the scenes, some have been more visible.
In 2009, Lorraine contacted a group named Field of Flags, which plants American Flags for every military member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan—more than 4,000 of them—after seeing an article on the organization. The church agreed to plant the flags on its lawn. Lorraine recalls it looked like Arlington cemetery.”
“People I never met were helping me put the flags up when they drove by and saw the flags,” says Lorraine.
During the time the church displayed the flags, the church held a ceremony every Sunday to add the flags for service members who had lost their lives that week.
“It meant a lot I was able to do that,” Lorraine says.
Lorraine says her favorite part of volunteering is “helping out and being part of the community.”
“I may not be able to pledge money, but I can give my time,” says Lorraine.
Lorraine has volunteered her time with such causes as Project Graduation at The Morgan School and an organization named The Connecticut Mission of Mercy (CTMOM), which provides dental treatment to those in need. Lorraine calls her time volunteering with CTMOM “very rewarding”.
A current volunteer project Lorraine is undertaking is the First Church of Christ’s 350th anniversary celebration. When Lorraine found out that 2017 would be the year the church turned 350, she volunteered to be on the committee responsible for planning the yearlong celebration.
To celebrate the occasion, the church is holding a special service on the town beach on Sunday, Sept. 10 that is open to the public.
“Besides the beach being beautiful, the church actually used to own the beach,” says Lorraine.
The church has also planned a Sunday, Oct. 15 event that Lorraine described as “basically a birthday party.”
When she isn’t volunteering, Lorraine works as a dental assistant in the V.A. Hospital in West Haven. Lorraine says working with veterans is a cause that’s “near and dear” to her, as her husband is a veteran.
Lorraine’s path to becoming a dental assistant was a different one than the route most people take. Lorraine had been a shift manager at a printing company when she found out the company was closing and she was going to be without a job. Lorraine liked the work and being creative.
“It was very stressful, but I enjoyed it a lot,” she says.
A friend at work introduced her to a dentist in Madison with whom she worked and who needed an extra person in the office.
“I hadn’t been on an interview in 20 years!” Lorraine says.
The introduction went well, however, and Lorraine was invited to come to see how she liked the field. Lorraine say she found she “really liked patient care.”
As a pleasant surprise, Lorraine found she still had an outlet to be creative in the day-to-day tasks that a dental assistant has to perform. Lorraine went back to school to become a dental assistant, taking her last exam on her 50th birthday.
One example from Lorraine’s life that combines her love of volunteering and her new career as a dental assistant is the story she tells of her interview for the job at the V.A. In the past, Lorraine had volunteered along with her husband’s Boy Scout troop to play Bingo with the blind veterans at the V.A. When Lorraine went in for her interview at the V.A. and was told where to go, Lorraine realized the interview was going to take place in the same room she had helped decorate with the scouts.
“Oh my gosh, I think I’m getting this job,” Lorraine says she said to herself at the time.
In her spare time, Lorraine enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, her daughter, Jenny, her son C.J., and her dog Molly. Her hobbies include camping, walking, and reading. While she struggles to name a favorite book, Lorraine does list Jodi Picoult as her favorite author.
Since January, once a week Lorraine, Chuck, and their friends Wendy and Dan Lewis can be heard doing a radio show on iCRV Radio named “Table for Four”. The show centers around the group reviewing restaurants in the area. The show airs on Thursdays.
“It’s a cool thing,” says Lorraine.