One Moment, a Lasting Impact
From Doreen O'Skea, former Director of Legacy and Leadership Giving
Paula Carrell
Sometimes the smallest of moments can have the greatest impact. Simple conversations can end up changing your life.
One quiet moment that I was fortunate to experience happened with an OSF member, Paula Carrell, at a Southampton Legacy Society dinner. I was new on the job and didn't know anyone other than the OSF staff. She smiled at me when I walked in the room and waved me over to sit with her. She welcomed me to the OSF family and proceeded to tell me why she loved theatre and how it changed her life every time she came to Ashland.
She said,"I come anticipating the classics and what they will give me.Am I going to see something new in King Lear that I didn't before? Am I going to let Romeo break my heart? And every time, I do learn something new about myself because I realize that I am not the same person who experienced that show the last time I saw it. I am different now than I was 20 minutes ago. Theatre keeps me thinking and I love that. I am also excited about American Revolutions and new works. If we don't support something new we stop growing and I don't know about you, but I am not ready to let my soul sit in the comfort of atrophy."
I was dazzled by this woman. She was speaking directly to my heart.
The rest of the evening was a combination of speeches and conversation, dinner ended and people drifted off to their shows. Paula thanked me for sitting with her and said that she looked forward to visiting with me next year. I felt the same and we continued to talk through the coming year via email or occasional phone calls.
Then the cancer diagnosis came and Paula said that she needed to focus on her health. Our communications were still consistent, but not as frequent.When it came time to sign up for the next dinner she sent a handwritten note to me, "Sorry to be so late. Engaged in a cancer battle, but decided to invest in the future anyway. I hope this is still acceptable, being so late."
I called her to assure her that we would welcome her even if she showed up at the dinner without a reservation.
She didn't make it.
Seeing the empty table setting was difficult for all of us.We were counting on her bright spirit to lift us up and to share her spark with the room. One of her last messages that she sent is a perfect summary of the role that OSF played in her life.
"Something I particularly enjoy about Ashland is that, surrounded by the different environment and schedule, the hugeness that is too oft work in my life shrinks to what is maybe a better size, and other aspects of life grow in proportion. I am happier with that balance."
Paula's gift to us is beyond what anyone can anticipate, she gave us hope, encouragement and support so that we can dream bigger for all of us.
The ripples of her gift will never subside.
You, like Paula, can have a lasting impact on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and on the lives OSF touches. To learn how to create your legacy for the arts, contact Planned Giving Team at 541-482-2111, Ext. 3880 or development@osfashland.org.
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