Foundation honors Wests’ service
-Sharon West, Spirit of Community Winner
A year spent in Norway as part of the AFS (American Field Service) student exchange program changed the course of Sharon West’s life.
“That made a profound impression on me,” said West, who with her late husband, Harvey, are this year’s Owatonna Foundation Spirit of the Community Award winners. “When I came back from there, I just knew I needed to give back to the community.”
The Wests will be honored at today’s Legacy Luncheon, held at the Owatonna Country Club. Held annually during Foundation Week, the luncheon celebrates members of the Legacy Society, who either donate at least $10,000 during their lifetime or leave a gift to the Owatonna Foundation through a bequest, charitable trust, life insurance or a planned gift option.
Sharon and Harvey met in college and moved to Owatonna when Harvey accepted a job offer in 1961. Not surprisingly, Sharon got involved with the local AFS club, serving as president in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“We had a busload of AFS students who came through Owatonna and stayed here,” she said. “The committee helped in arranging for the kids to see and do different things, and places for them to stay here.”
She would also visit families who hosted foreign students, helping to iron out any issues or just providing words of encouragement.
One of her most memorable experiences, West said, was co-chairing Owatonna’s sesquicentennial celebration with the late Vern White.
“That involved so many people from Owatonna,” she said, “because we had various committees doing specific items. Seeing all those people working together and getting their jobs done timely, getting all the information gathered (for a history book)…it was a huge undertaking.”
After about three years of planning, West said she watched the event unfold with a combination of pride and relief.
“And then for a while, you’re just kind of … what’s next?” she added.
While Harvey focused his volunteer efforts on a few groups–the Owatonna Elks Club, United Way of Steele County, and Owatonna Chamber of Commerce and Tourism–Sharon was involved in many. She was the first female Chamber board chair and the first female Rotary Club president. The Owatonna Business and Professional Women recognized her with their Woman of the Year and Pioneer Woman awards.
Sharon also served on the Civil Service Commission and is a current member of the city’s Airport Commission. Together, the Wests supported the Steele County Historical Society, Little Theatre of Owatonna, and the Chamber Foundation, among many other organizations.
“I guess I’m a true ‘do-gooder’,” West said. “I just like to see people working together and getting things accomplished…and hopefully Owatonna is going to be better because of what is being done in some of these groups. We’re building a better community.”
West said the last thing she expected was to receive the Owatonna Foundation award:
“I was flabbergasted. We volunteered because we wanted to help… I was extremely humbled.”
There’s something special about Owatonna, she added, and while the community may be growing, it’s still “a great little town.”
“I just think it’s a super town,” West said. “It offers so much for everyone… and we need to appreciate it.”