Volunteer of Twenty-Two Years Celebrates 85th Birthday
September 22, 2009

Saint Patrick High School volunteer Colette Bodenbender recently celebrated her 85th birthday. Colette has volunteered at St. Pat’s for 22 years since she retired from working with Chicago Public Schools in 1987.

“Once I retired I had time on my hands,” said Colette, who was looking for another way to stay active in the community. Fortunately her husband, Bob, noticed an ad placed in the paper by Br. David Pieters, a teacher at St. Pat’s looking for volunteers to help kids with reading. Little did Colette realize at the time that Br. David was the same individual who taught her brother, Br. Martin Spellman, when he was preparing to enter the order in 1947. (Br. Martin is now in his second year of working with students at St. Pat’s.) After meeting with Colette, Br. David reasoned that her secretarial background with CPS would make her the perfect fit to help out in St. Pat’s offices. She spent time working with both him in development and later on assisting Br. Konrad Diebold in administration. “I no longer had time on my hands!” said Colette.

While much in the school has changed since the 1980s, Colette’s dedication and commitment to the school has remained steadfast. For the last eight years, she has worked in the school’s library. She has also spent some time in the guidance office, assisting Jeff Ardito with recruiting and serving as the recording secretary for the Board of Trustees. She says that one of the most exciting aspects of spending time at the school every Tuesday and Thursday has been watching the school grow. “Things were much smaller,” said Colette. “There also used to be more Brothers, and the development office was just Br. Pieters.”

Colette is especially fond of the physical improvements St. Pat’s has undergone including the 2000 addition of the new library, and the adjoining atrium and Stahl Family Theatre. She is looking forward to the next phase of improvements which include development of the southwest corner of the school’s campus located on Belmont and Austin. “This is a place to be proud of and I am,” said Colette.

As if helping out St. Pat’s wasn’t enough, Colette also makes time to volunteer at her parish, St. Celestine. Last Winter the parish nominated her for the Archdiocese of Chicago Christifideles Award, an award bestowed annually by Cardinal Francis George to individuals who have offered extraordinary time, talent and treasure to the Church. Amazingly, she still has free time left over to keep up with nine great-grandchildren.