Better Know a Member – Sheila Carlson
“Help others when the opportunity arises!” That was the message that was evident during a visit with Rotarian, Sheila Carlson, after a Tuesday Rotary meeting in early April.
Sheila Carlson is a very active mom, wife and career driven lady with a full agenda every day, but ‘life’ does not get in the way of her love for the spirit of volunteerism in her busy schedule. While chatting with her about family, career goals and future endeavors, it was clear that this is a lady who can juggle what life hands her and still keep a positive attitude of serving others at every juncture of her life. In fact, service is one of the main reasons she decided to get involved with Rotary back in 2007 when she was pursued by Rita Steinberg and Janet Harris at Habitat for Humanity, her current workplace where she serves as Communications and Community Relations Coordinator.
“I appreciate the 4-Way Test model of Rotary,” Sheila mentioned as one of the things she respects about Rotary. “My interest grew out of meeting new friends on my visits to the club and I was surprised at how many friends and acquaintances I already knew that were involved in the organization.” Sheila feels that the Indianapolis Rotary is a place for her to put her skills and abilities to work and it didn’t take long for her to find several avenues of service as she joined four committees immediately after becoming a member. Currently Sheila is finishing up a term as Sergeant of Arms and looks forward to future opportunities in Rotary.
A native of Dundee, Illinois, Sheila married Keith Carlson at a young age and they located in Virginia Beach, VA. In 1998, she moved with her family to Brownsburg, IN. Along with holding down a full time career, Sheila and Keith have raised two accomplished children. Caprice is a freshman at Roosevelt University in Chicago studying pharmacy and Spencer is a sophomore at Brownsburg High School planning to attend Purdue University with a focus on graphic engineering. Education is not only a priority for her children, but for Sheila as well. She began her higher education at a Community College in Illinois and finished at Indiana Tech in 2004 earning Suma Cum Laude status while managing her family, a job at Bank One and of course always looking for that opportunity to serve others.
Since becoming a Rotarian, Sheila has been blessed with some incredible memories. Her favorite memory related to Rotary is her trip to Grissom Air Force Base with some fellow Rotarians. She recalls that they had the thrill of going up in a KC 135 Strato Tanker and watch the refueling of a B-1 bomber. “I really got to know a couple of those seasoned Rotarians when we were trapped up in the air all that time.” It was an experience she says she will never forget. Another memory of Sheila’s life that will never fade was her 29th birthday. She jumped out of a plane! She says that skydiving is one of life’s greatest moments and coming in second would be her ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to Bora Bora vacation that she was able to experience.
Despite great adventures around the world, Sheila remains grounded with her work at Habitat for Humanity where she sees creating more awareness for the organization and its mission as a huge focus of her life right now. With her responsibilities moving more toward involvement with social media and her message to strive to be more consistent in reaching the public to share the need, she is still very involved in creating relationships that fit well with the organization.
Sheila recharges and stays grounded by relaxing by the pool, walking, biking and working out in her spare time. She considers her favorite Indianapolis “downtown spot” to be an Indian’s game and when those occasional snow days come along, you will find Sheila nestled on the sofa with a great movie perhaps from the 90’s. “I like the decade of the 90’s because it seemed to be just before we lost the ‘people element’ when technology seemed to take over our lives,” she commented.
Whether you see Sheila at a Rotary meeting or out in the field helping others, she somehow finds a way to give a hug and a smile to those she meets. There doesn’t seem to be much that gets in Sheila’s way to volunteer and participate in life. Whether she is challenging herself in The Race for the Cure this year to honor her aunt who is a cancer survivor, walking in the American Heart Association Walk in honor of her dad who passed away in December or helping out at Gleaner’s, Meals on Wheels, participating in the annual Race for the Cure or Riley Children’s hospital, Sheila exudes the spirit of outreach to others. This Paul Harris Fellow lives by her motto of “Let Go and Let God” and chooses to look at helping others as her mission in life. Don’t miss an opportunity at the next Rotary meeting to meet Sheila Carlson and get to know her and be prepared to be blessed by a hug and her contagious smile.
