Labor of Love
All Carol McCollough wanted to do was play a little basketball.
She wound up getting into a whole lot more.
McCollough, 69, of Chicora is president of the Western Pa. Senior Olympics, based at the Butler Cubs Hall, and has spent most of the past two decades building membership in the organization.
“Sports have always been a big part of my life,” said McCollough, a retired insurance agent. “Before I got into the insurance business, I taught at Butler and Grove City high schools and coached basketball, volleyball, track and softball.
“I was coming out of Kmart one day and a woman was selling chances on a raffle to raise money for their senior (citizens) basketball trip to Florida. I talked to her about the organization and became interested.”
McCollough was 50 at the time. Team members' ages started at 55.
“I kept that woman's name for five years,” McCollough said. “By the time I was 55 and ready to sign up, they were disbanding. They had one team and only six women. I wanted to start over, and they were quitting.”
So if McCollough wanted to play, she needed to find some players.
“I had never been a leader of anything in my life,” she said. “I was always a follower. I was never the president of anything.
“But this, I had a passion for. And that passion has never gone away.”
McCollough began rebuilding the organization through enlisting friends to play and by word-of-mouth. She went to media outlets for publicity.
Today, the Western Pa. Senior Olympics consist of six basketball teams, four volleyball teams and about 70 members between the ages of 50 and 81.
And it consists of plenty of work for McCollough.
“I probably put in 20 hours a week or so at our busiest time, from January to May” she said. “We do a golf fundraiser at Lake Arthur Country Club that's in its 12th year. I used to do all of the preparation for that, but I have help now. We have officers and a board of directors now.“And we'd be nowhere if not for the cooperation of the Butler Cubs. You always need help. No one can do these things alone.”The golf tournament raises $8,000 to $10,000 for the organization annually.McCollough has organized a seniors basketball tournament at Slippery Rock University on April 27 “just to help promote the sport, our group and our area.”Teams will be coming in from Michigan, Chicago, Virginia and North Carolina.“We network with teams and players we've met at national tournaments,” she said.McCollough has organized trips to national tournaments in Houston, Texas, Baton Rouge, La., Louisville, Ky., and Palo Alto, Calif., for her teams over the years.She does the paperwork for the Western Pa. Senior Olympics, including tax exemptions and returns.“It's a labor of love for me,” McCollough said. “I really do enjoy it and there's no strict deadlines for most of this stuff, so I don't feel any pressure in doing it.“When it comes to being a leader of something like this, though ... I don't know if a person could do it if you didn't enjoy it.”She feels a sense of pride in her group as well.“Absolutely ... It's easy to work for these women because they are so committed,” McCollough said. “One woman plays volleyball with an oxygen pack on her back. Another is fighting severe illness, but makes the trip down from Punxsutawney with her husband to play ball with us.“Only about 30 percent of our group is actually from Butler County. Women come from Pittsburgh, North Hills, the South Hills, all over. We still have plenty of room for growth.”And McCollough still has plenty of energy to make it happen.“We're all crazy about sports. That's our bond,” she said. “We wouldn't be here practicing at 8 a.m. every Saturday if it wasn't.”
<B>Age: </B>69<B>Address: </B>1010 Kittanning Pike, Chicora<B>Family: </B>Husband, Donald; son, Don III; daughter, Lori; three grandchildren<B>Employment: </B>Retired insurance agent after 32 years<B>Company: </B>Former McCollough Insurance<B>What it did: </B>Specialized in life, health, property insurance<B>Employees:</B> 3<B>LEADERSHIP IS:</B>“Leadership requires a take-charge personality; somebody willing to do what needs to be done, including parts that nobody else wants to do.”<B>INSPIRATION</B>“My mother, Ruth Myers Hand. The way she handled her six children — she made us all feel equally loved and that’s hard to do. In any large family, there are favorites, but a good parent doesn’t show favoritism.“My dad was only 48 when he died. Their kids ranged in age from 29 to 7 at the time. My mother always offered advice through the years, but never insisted we take it. She supported us in whatever avenue of life we chose to take. She led us toward success.”
