Bringing the fun Donna Oliveira makes sure volunteers—and the people they serve—are having a good time.

Donna Oliveira, 81, doesn’t believe in boring meetings. Give her an opening or put her in charge and she’ll lighten things up with a joke or lead an engaging activity, something that lifts people’s spirits and helps them to learn something new. It’s a technique she’s employed throughout her life, whether as a teacher, a weight loss coach or a volunteer leader.

“I’m a shy person, believe it or not, but if I get on stage I like to entertain—if I can think of something,” Oliveira says. 

She started her career as a teacher and found work in Alaska after college, eventually settling in Salinas where she taught for many years and served as chair of the Alisal High School English Department. She had two children with her fi rst husband who died in his 40s, leaving her to fi nish raising them alone. 

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