We work for the government, okay? But we make a difference every day. And we can see it. We never have the same day two days in a row. Here. Ever. But because we deal with people and their lives—okay, we deal with the elders, we deal sometimes with their families, trying to help the elders. We get a lot of feedback that says, especially after someone’s lost a spouse, “I don’t know where I would have been if you people in this building weren’t here.” So you make a difference every day. And that’s important to us. And it’s gratifying. It really is. They are a very grateful population, I mean a lot of people will say, “How do you do what you do? Old people are cranky.” And yes they are, some of them, but not all of them. In fact, a very few of them are. Most of them are quite good-natured and very happy just to be able to come here every day. It's important to me to make a difference. And I can honestly say that my staff and I do.
Louise Charbonneau was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1954. She is the daughter of Blanche and Wallace Seager, of Swedish and German decent, and originating from Holden, Massachusetts. Louise grew up in a Protestant home where she attended church every Sunday. She has two older siblings, one brother, and one sister. Louise started her working profession for WPI [Worcester Polytechnic Institute] as a secretary for the president. She married soon after graduating from a two-year college, Becker Junior College, continuing to work for WPI. Some years later, Louise had two children of her own to care for, interrupting her busy work life. She took time off from WPI and started to write chapters for The Worcester Heritage Preservation Society, all while being a stay-at-home mother. She soon started to work part-time at the Holden Senior Center where she was eventually offered a full-time job as the director. She gladly accepted as her children were now school-aged. Louise is still the Director of the Holden Senior Center. During the interview the focus was on Louise’s strong involvement with the community as well as creating a family environment for the elderly at the Senior Center.