For Lynda McCarthy, retirement didn’t mean giving up nursing.
Lynda, who turns 70 this year along with Opportunity Village, has been with the organization for just over four years. Not being interested in hospital nursing, she spent her 45-year career working mainly with children with disabilities and adults in long-term care facilities and in-home care.
“I have a special place in my heart for people with disabilities, so it really makes me feel good.”
She now works part-time at Opportunity Village and says she has always believed “every little bit you do for someone” who has a disability can make their day better.
“And that’s what it’s all about.”
Lynda is originally from the Boston area, where she spent three-quarters of her career. She and her husband moved to the Las Vegas Valley about 20 years ago. He had applied for a job here, and they called and made him an offer.
“By the time he got home … I was already looking at houses on the internet,” Lynda says. “I wanted to be near my grandkids,” who were living in the Las Vegas area.
Lynda says her favorite part of working at Opportunity Village is that the people she serves make her laugh.
“I can’t help but feel good when I’m around them,” she says. “Go over and say hello and get a smile back or a comment … That’s what keeps me going to work every day.”
While Lynda doesn’t have big plans for celebrating her birthday in September, she says she’ll probably spend it with her husband, their friends, and her two elderly pit bulls.
“Nothing real special. Getting too old for that,” she says, with a chuckle.
For Lynda, Opportunity Village is all about improving lives.
“I love what I do, and the people that I work with are great,” she says, adding that everyone gives everything they can to try to help people with disabilities and improve their lives.
Get to Know Lynda:
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: New England haddock (fried — even though she knows it’s not good for you)
Q: What are your hobbies outside of work?
A: Her pets
Q: Do you follow any sports teams?
A: New England Patriots
Q: What movie genre interests you the most?
A: Drama/action movies
Q: What is one thing you can’t live without?
A: Chocolate
Q: If you could pick one superpower what would it be?
A: Flying
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: “I want to see all the national parks in the United States.”
Q: What’s your favorite holiday?
A: Thanksgiving — “I like it when everybody gets together and has a big meal.”
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give people new to Opportunity Village?
A: “Be yourself. Be kind. And remember, it could have been you in [the people we serve’s] position. Treat them like you would want to be treated. Just because [they have a disability] doesn’t mean they’re not human beings.”
