"I'm not square dancing anymore!" Susan Roderick receives 2013 Volunteer Award
/“I’m not square dancing anymore,” she told her parents. “It’s too square.” So began 16-year-old Susan Roderick’s life journey – an independent woman on a mission. Although she rode horses and enjoyed the now seemingly other-worldly family jaunts to square dancing weekends around New England with her dance-teaching mother, also an artist, and her step father, the jeweler, it was time for the break. Being raised on the water in Tiverton, Rhode Island, she took to the sea with her own sailboat, hand firm on the tiller.
Her calling was community-based care giving, first as a University of Rhode Island nursing graduate and then breezing through two nurse practicioner degrees at Northeastern University in Boston. Under Dr. Frank Zampiello’s preceptorship she received her pediatric and family nurse practioner degrees by 1980 and began working at Outer Cape Health Services in 1979 — formerly known as Health Associates of Provincetown (HAPI). Previously she had workd at AIM in Wellfleet from 1972 to 1977. For 34 years she has been with the newly-expanded community health center, at first focusing on children and women, but now providing primary care services for patients across the spectrum.A typical day for Susan begins with a four-mile power walk to Long Nook Beach from her Truro home, then to the Proincetown clinic where she emphsizes preventive health care and self management for her patients, with issues ranging from smoking to diabetis, obeisity to depression. After an intense day at the clinic she might head to a Zomba class, a Truro bicycle committee meeting or a meeting at Helping Our Women, where she has been president of the board since 2001. On weekends she kayaks and enjoys her childhood love of sailing.Susan is being honored at the Swim for Life this Saturday with the David Asher Volunteer Award. Her accomplishments are lengendary. She sat on the Truro and Provincetown/truro School Committees for thirteen year, many as chair, and was selected Massachusetts Employee of the Year by the Community Health Centers. She joined HOW because she noticed how helpful it was for her clinic patients, so she then created a vision for this vital organization: bring this grass-roots entity into the 21st Century without loosing its hands-on connection to the community. Under her leadership HOW established an endowment to sustain its services into the future and recently purchased spanking new offices at 34 Conwell Street. With longtime HOW Director Irene Rabinowitz retiring, the board is searching to fill the position.The 26th annual Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla will be held on Saturday, September 7 at the Boatslip Resort. Kayak registration begins at 8:30am, swimmer registration is from 9:00-10:00am. The Mermaid Brunch is open to the public and begins at noon, with entertainment with Zoe Lewis. An awards ceremony follows.On Friday, the day before, there are orientations, one at 1:00pm for swimmers and the other for kayakers at 2:00pm at the Boatslip beach — both are optional, mostly for new participants. The Celebration of Life Concert will take place at the UU Meeting House at 8:00pm, organized by John Thomas. Swim beneficiaries include: AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Helping Our Women, Outer Cape Health Services, Provincetown Rescue Squad, Lower Cape Ambulance, Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, the Academy at Provincetown School and The Compact Community Fund.Business sponsors include: Seamen’s Bank, Lead Sponsor; Provincetown Banner, Media Sponsor; Far Land Provisions; Boatslip Resort; Fanizzi’s Restaurant; Lobster Pot Restaurant; Crown & Anchor; Mussel Beach Health Club; Harbor Hotel and Marc Jacobs. The Swim is also funded in part by the Provincetown Tourism Fund.For swimmer, kayaker and volunteer information contact thecompact@comcast.net or visit www.swim4life.org. Take the Plunge!
