Volunteer extraordinaire Lois Moses Shofer ’67 is named one of Maryland’s top 100 women.

by Julie Waters, M.M. ’91

Lois Moses Shofer ’67 is busier in retirement than many of us still in the workforce. Since her 1999 retirement from the Community College of Baltimore County she has chosen to spend much of her time giving back to her community, a value she says was instilled by her parents. In March Shofer’s work as a community leader, mentor, and volunteer earned her a spot on Maryland’s top 100 women of 2002 list, an honor given by the statewide business paper the Daily Record to recognize the outstanding achievements of professional women who live or work in Maryland. It was an unusual accomplishment for someone who, as Shofer jokes, is no longer "gainfully employed."

"[Although] she is retired, Lois epitomizes the criteria of the top 100 women," says Nancy Sloane of the Record. "She is extraordinarily involved in the community and committed to taking leadership roles in whatever endeavor she’s working on. Even in retirement she has continued to find new ways to lend support." In the annual recognition program, established in 1996 by the Record, candidates are nominated by members of the business community and community at large, chambers of commerce, and women’s organizations and are selected based on an application they submit to the Record.

Sloane has experienced Shofer’s high energy and motivational talents firsthand. The two work together as mentors to other professional women through Network 2000, a program that promotes women into leadership roles. It was Shofer’s idea, says Sloane, to bring Belle Wheelan, secretary of education for the state of Virginia, to speak to participants in the mentor program about career paths and priorities in life. "It was a terrific evening, and once again Lois was the driving force. It was just another example of how she is always thinking and coming up with ideas on how we can [positively affect] other people," says Sloane.

Shofer also volunteers for the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland --- although, as she laughingly admits, as a young girl she only reached Brownie status --- and is involved with the organization’s distinguished women program. She also works with Sail Baltimore, a nonprofit community service organization responsible for coordinating the city’s waterfront activities, stimulating tourism, and hosting the Inner Harbor tall ships gatherings. The long list of Shofer’s additional memberships and achievements includes work on the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies in Business and Education and the National Association of Governors Councils of Physical Fitness and Sports (now the National Association for Health and Fitness), for which she served as the first female president, from 1989 to 1990.

Shofer says she learned as a youngster growing up in Suffern, New York, about the importance of giving to others. "Both my mother and father did volunteer work and believed that if we were fortunate, we had to give back to the community," she remembers. Her mother, now 87, was among the 1,200 people who attended the reception in March at Baltimore’s Meyerhoff Symphony Hall honoring the top 100 women.

Shofer’s desire to work as an educator and helper of children began when she was a physical education major at Ithaca College. It was there she first realized that she wanted to work with kids. "I knew I had this special skill --- I could enter a room filled with children, and the kids would just come to me without my saying a word," she recalls. She further developed her rapport with children through community service work as a Delta Phi Zeta member and her experiences as a student teacher.

Her commitment to children eventually led Shofer in 1974 to found the Children’s Development Clinic. Begun as a Saturday program offered through the Community College of Baltimore County, where Shofer taught health courses, the clinic offers services to parents of children who have developmental delays or disabilities. In the 25 years Shofer ran the program, more than 4,000 families and 2,000 trained volunteer clinicians completed the program, making it one of the largest and most successful volunteer efforts ever undertaken in Maryland.

"In our competitive society, kids are expected to learn something the first time," Shofer points out. "When someone has difficulty in learning, it’s not viewed very favorably. Some of the kids in our clinic just needed a little extra time or for the material to be broken down into smaller units." Shofer’s program offered the children the extra time and attention to mature --- things, she says, they were not able to get in a traditional learning environment.

As part of her commitment to education, Shofer gives of her time to Ithaca College, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Maryland, all alma maters. She also feels strongly that community colleges have much to offer society’s increasingly diverse student population. In support of that belief, she is working with IC’s development office to create a scholarship fund for community college graduates who want to continue their education at Ithaca. She also continues to promote the College by attending college nights in the Baltimore region, at which she discusses her positive experience with prospective students. "I had a good time at Ithaca College and received a good education. Now I want to give back," she says.

An advocate for women in business and education, Shofer says that women should be encouraged to have a strong sense of self. "Kids who graduate from college today may have six or seven career paths. Young folks need to be versatile. The good news is that they’re not wedded to doing just one thing, and that makes life more interesting."

Shofer intends to spend time on commitments that are personally rewarding, such as encouraging other women to seek leadership roles. And she doesn’t rule out trying some new career paths of her own. "Just do what you want to do," she advises. "Don’t get discouraged, even if what you want to do is very far off or different. You can always make a change."