Every little bit helps

Suzie Harrison

Making life smell a little sweeter for others is something Sheree

Cottrill of Newport Beach enjoys doing, not only as a vendor for

Givenchy, but also as a volunteer for Costa Mesa Senior Center, where

she delivers meals to seniors who are homebound.

“I’ve been volunteering for five years,” Cottrill said. “I work on

the weekend, so I’m not able to do anything in church -- I wanted to

help in my community and give in return since my community has been

good to us.”

Cottrill has had the same route since she started. She tends to it

every Monday. If someone else can’t make it, she pitches in.

“I have a flexible schedule and will do it if I can,” Cottrill

said. “My motto is, when Dan calls, Sheree hauls.”

Dan Lachman is the site manager who oversees the volunteers for

meals.

“She got the volunteer of the year award on June 7,” Lachman said.

“She’s fantastic. Whenever I need her to help, she’s great. She gets

a lot out of it and others do, too -- it seems like a symbiotic

relationship.”

Cottrill has 11 clients right now, but that number varies, she

said.

“I make sure they get their hugs,” Cottrill said. “I love flowers,

and when the roses in my garden are about to open, I’ll take them to

my clients. One lady has a birthday close to mine, so I usually bring

her a little gift.”

She’s developed a real bond with her clients. Sometimes, they need

to talk, and she’ll listen.

“I enjoy going out and talking to them,” Cottrill said. “Sometimes

the volunteers are the only people they’ll see in a few days.”

She said that she looks at volunteering as a job, a job she

doesn’t get paid for -- but feels responsible because the seniors

depend on the volunteers.

“They can’t jump in their cars and go get a burger, so it’s

important to take it seriously,” Cottrill said. “It’s a good feeling

to be able to help those who aren’t able to get out.”

Be it by giving a rose, a hug or having a chat with someone,

Cottrill likes to lift their spirits.

In her spare time, Cottrill likes to garden and act. She is in the

cast of “Heaven Can Wait,” which is playing in Huntington Beach.

Lachman said he didn’t know what he would do without her, and most

likely the seniors she helps feel the same way.