Local resident an activist for social change | Senior Spotlight

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, September 27, 2016

It might have been the mentally and physically disabled inmates she counseled at McNeil Island Correctional Center.

Maybe it was the many times her arms comforted infants with AIDS and children separated from parents due to neglect.

Or perhaps it was the numerous hospice visits where she saw people and families through end-of-life journeys.

For Nora DiVincenzo, these soul-impacting, life-altering experiences shaped who she is today, how she views humanity and why she works so hard to help.

“People need to be cared for on different levels,” said DiVincenzo, who earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling when she was in her 50s. “Compassion, along with political action, can help those who are homeless or unemployed.”

Contributing to local food banks, then increasing her contributions, as well as contacting representatives to advocate for additional funding for mental illness treatment and transitional housing are DiVincenzo’s primary methods for effecting change.

Growing up on a farm in eastern Washington and the middle of nine kids, DiVincenzo married at 18, raised two daughters, and worked as a medical secretary for 35 years. Seeing people with mental, physical and emotional challenges spurred her to start a second career working as a human services specialist with the Senior Services division of Tacoma’s Department of Human Development, as well as to own her own counseling practice.

A resident of Village Green for three years, DiVincenzo continues to help others by facilitating a grief and loss support group.

“People grieve those who’ve passed, and as we age, we may also lose the ability to see, hear, or move the way we used to,” said DiVincenzo, who, now in her 80s, has been widowed twice. “I’m concerned about our residents, their lives and loved ones. Perhaps by talking about their loss it opens up their thinking to different possibilities.”

DiVincenzo keeps in shape mentally, spiritually and physically with Zumba, walking and 30 minutes of yoga each morning. She and her husband, Richard, enjoy reading, playing pool, listening to music and spending time with their nine children and dozen grandkids.

Always on the lookout for ways to make a difference, the two previously spearheaded a winter clothing drive at Village Green and appreciate being able to shop and donate to FUSION (Friends United to Shelter the Indigent, Oppressed and Needy) in Federal Way.

“It’s a way to give back,” DiVincenzo said. “And, hopefully, create positive changes in the lives of those who may need it the most.”