Lorraine Seabrook was selected as one of the winners of Packet Publication’s 2008 Outstanding Woman contest
By Kristin Boyd, The Packet Group
On days when e-mails are piling up and her to-do list seems never ending, Lorraine Seabrook remembers one of her favorite quotes by Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
The saying keeps her motivated when volunteering with the Princeton Girlchoir, St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Hopewell and the music and theater departments at Hopewell Valley Central High School.
”That’s just one of those quotes that sum up what volunteering is,” said Ms. Seabrook, a Hopewell resident. “You give of yourself, but you get so much more from the people you get to work with.”
In today’s fast-paced world, finding dedicated volunteers like Ms. Seabrook, who continually gives back to the community without seeking recognition or even a thank you, can be challenging.
For her ongoing community service and commitment to area organizations, Ms. Seabrook was selected as one of the winners of Packet Publication’s 2008 Outstanding Woman contest.
”We have lived in Hopewell for (more than) 10 years, and she has become more and more involved in the community,” her husband, Jack Seabrook, wrote in his nomination letter. “In addition to raising two children, both of whom share her curiosity about the world and its history, she volunteers countless hours to several organizations, all while working a busy job as a freelance writer.”
Ms. Seabrook grew up in Union County, first in Scotch Plains and later in Fanwood, “basically a teeny-tiny 1-mile borough,” she said, laughing. The youngest of three, she attended Union Catholic Regional High School and earned a degree in English and history from Rutgers University.
”Volunteering probably stems from always wanting to be on the go,” she said. “I also grew up in a very generous household. My parents set a good example.”
After marrying, the Seabrooks had two children, Tom, 18, and Michele, 15. The family moved to Hopewell in December 1997.
Ms. Seabrook began volunteering in Hopewell as a way to stay active in her children’s lives. Through chaperoning field trips and pitching in as a classroom helper at Hopewell Elementary School, she was able to keep track of her children’s friends, classmates and general interests.
”My point is to be involved with things but also be involved with my children,” she said.
When her daughter joined the Princeton Girlchoir in sixth grade, Ms. Seabrook became involved with the organization, first helping with publicity and later joining the organization’s board. She now serves as board president, a term that ends in June.
”It’s an easy way for me to use my skills, it’s something I can do to help out because I’m not myself musical,” she said, laughing.
Ms. Seabrook also helps at the high school, where her son is a senior and her daughter is a sophomore. She previously served on the board of the Music and Theater Parents Association, and this year, she volunteered as assistant to the costumer for the school’s production of “The Sound of Music.”
Ms. Seabrook joined St. Alphonsus, “ a little white wooden church that sits a little bit on a hill and doesn’t look anything like a Catholic church,” after meeting Sr. Rosemary when the family first moved to the area.
”Her warm welcome set the tone for living here,” said Ms. Seabrook, who has volunteered as a religious education teacher and now serves as secretary of the parish council. “This is a really warm and welcoming environment, and it has remained the same.”
In addition to volunteering, Ms. Seabrook is also an amateur historian; in 2000, she and her husband wrote “Hopewell Valley,” part of the Images of America book series, and she formerly volunteered with the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.
Ms. Seabrook also works as a freelance writer for several publications and organizations, including Mercer Business Magazine and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.
But, she said, she wouldn’t give up her two favorite jobs – being a mother and volunteering – for all the money in the world.