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07/24/2013 12:00 PMThroughout her life journey, Sallie Fowler has found that one life experience has naturally transitioned into the next. She doesn’t necessarily look for the next step to take. That step just seems to become apparent as Sallie begins to be ready to move.
That’s how it has been for Sallie since she was a Catholic high school student in Fairfield County, when she was asked by a priest to teach children and prepare them for their first communion.
“I realized I was good at it. I wanted to be a teacher,” Sallie recalls.
Fast forward to 1973, when she and her husband, Ray, moved to North Haven. After moving to town Sallie became involved in two parishes, St. Barnabas and St. Francis Cabrini. Between the two parishes, Sallie has taught religious education for 30 years.
During that time, her son was born and Sallie became involved in school-related activities. She was a member of the PTA and was a room mother.
Then, in 1995, when Sallie was still teaching religious education, she was teaching a lesson about how we are all alike and she sought a book about snowflakes. She couldn’t find one at an educational supply store, but instead left the store with a rubber stamp.
Sallie says she didn’t know anything about rubber stamps, but she found a couple of books and taught herself. She wrote to a rubber stamp company to request a catalog and was asked to be a demonstrator for the company’s products at a craft store. So Sallie was able to teach crafters.
After that, Sallie started a company in which she stenciled different items, but she still liked rubber stamping more. In the late 1990s, she was approached by a local craft store to make cards (using rubber stamps) for people buying Christmas village figurines.
“I did that for three weeks,” says Sallie, noting the boss was pleased with her work and asked if she thought about teaching adult education classes. “He arranged for me to meet the director of adult education,” she says.
In addition to that, Sallie also taught after-school programs
Sallie turned her love of rubber stamping and crafts into a business making cards. And she launched a website for the business, Uniquely Yours Cards, five years ago. She continues to create the cards.
More recently, Sallie has become involved with a child abuse awareness campaign her husband started in North Haven. After learning about the death of a young girl in Georgia due to child abuse, Ray wanted to find a way to help close to home.
“It started him on that journey of discovery,” says Sallie.
When Ray wanted to do something concrete, he thought of a candy bar campaign. Sallie helped him type labels and attach them to the candy, which was distributed around town.
Sallie, who is secretary of Friends of the Library and has been involved with the group for many years, is about to have more time to do more things that she wants to accomplish.
She recently retired after 13 years at Stanley Engineered Fasteners (formerly Emhart), at which she served as a senior customer service representative.
“I really enjoyed it and speaking to people all over the country,” Sallie says. “But when the time came to retire, it was time to go.”
The company used to be located in Shelton, but when it moved to Danbury, Sallie remained with her job, inheriting a commute that brought her home to North Haven between 6:30 and 7 p.m. each work night.
While Sallie will miss the job, she already has another project lined up to keep her busy well into her retirement.
During the spring, she read a story in a local newspaper about a group of student volunteers who decided to create a place in which people could find local volunteer opportunities.
“I thought it was a great idea. I wrote to [First Selectman] Mike Freda and asked him to let me know what he thought.”
Freda liked the idea and asked Sallie if she would help create it, along with the help of intern Ashley Hartley, who is working in Freda’s office this summer. Sallie says she and Ashley will be working this summer on a web project titled “North Haven Volunteers” that will serve as a resource for residents seeking opportunities in which they can volunteer their time.
“I’m looking forward to this,” says Sallie. “This is the ground floor. It’s detail-oriented, which I love, and research-oriented, which I love, and it’s something our town really needs. We’re always looking for people to get involved.”
The new resource will make it easier for volunteers to connect with those offering volunteering opportunities.
Sallie is truly pleased that building this initiative has transitioned into her next role.
“I can do the things I love and help people at the same time,” says Sallie. “If I see a need and I feel I can contribute, I’m going to.”