Filling a multitude of volunteer posts, making community stronger

By Andrea Busche

Witha sweet smile and kind, maternal demeanor, Cindy Macaulay is the type of woman to give you a hug rather than a handshake. With a passion for helping others, she volunteers countless hours at Essentia Health, the Lake Superior Zoo and for a variety of veterans’ organizations. She also donates blood. A self-professed introvert, Cindy serves her community in her own dignified way: quietly, and always with a smile on her face.

Cindy was recently awarded The Woman Today’s Silent Advocate award. This category is awarded to women who work silently, tirelessly serving their communities and neighbors.

Daughter of a military man

For Cindy, her appreciation for veterans and U.S. military personnel started early. Her father served in the Army before becoming a minister.

The family traveled wherever Cindy’s dad was needed in the ministry, including Berkeley, Calif.; Granite Falls and Robbinsdale, Minn.; Grand Forks, N.D.; and Yankton, S.D. “I always loved picking him up at the airport. People would salute him,” Cindy said.

Cindy attended college in Yankton, where she pursued general studies. After Yankton, Cindy went on to mother five children, all of whom now reside in the Duluth/Superior area.

A career dedicated to veterans

Cindy went back to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from

Cindy Macaulay

Silent Advocate Award

the University of Minnesota Duluth. She later attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior and earned a master’s degree in community counseling.

During her undergraduate years, there were veterans’ clubs forming across campus, and people were protesting military conflicts. Cindy became involved with Northland Vietnam Veterans, where she cofacilitated discussion groups.

“Working with veterans was so relevant to our generation,” Cindy said. “The Vietnam War was constantly on the news and in the newspapers. Some people were getting their draft notices, and others were protesting.”

Cindy spent a 30-year career at Duluth’s Vet Center, where she provided mental health counseling and support services to veterans and their families. While she enjoyed the work, it could be taxing at times.

“At first, it was a stretch for some people to have me working there,” Cindy said. “I was the only female on staff, and I was not a veteran myself.” But they came around. Upon her retirement, the Northland Vietnam Veterans Association donated a bench in her name.

Cindy was also an early group facilitator for the Domestic Abuse Intervention Program. It is now an internationally-known program with a mission to end violence against women.

Keeping up the pace

Since her retirement two years ago, Cindy hasn’t slowed down. She loves people, and knew she needed structure and social interaction in retirement.

She volunteers as a “way finder” at Essentia Health, where she helps people navigate the hospital campus. She also delivers flowers to patients.

Cindy is a volunteer gardener for the Lake Superior Zoo. She is a prolific blood donor, having given eleven gallons thus far. She volunteers countless hours for her church, Peace United Church of Christ, and serves on the board for “Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal,” an organization providing direct support to service members returning from war.

Cindy is a volunteer usher at the NorShor Theatre, and even has a toe in politics; she is a volunteer election judge and helped with her daughter Sally Trnka in her successful school board campaign.

Of her community service, Cindy shared, “It’s such an honor to be allowed to walk alongside people for that little bit of their life. I love connecting with people and listening to their stories.”

A health scare truly put things into perspective for Cindy. Diagnosed with uterine cancer nearly two years ago, she became intimately aware with the fragility and beauty of life. “I’m liking this retirement gig, and I really want it to last,” she said.

Travel and grandchildren

When they aren’t volunteering, Cindy and her husband, Dennis Angell, enjoy traveling, especially during the winter. Over the course of the last two winters, they spent a month in Tampa, Fla., and a month in Austin, Texas. They have enjoyed visiting several presidential libraries, and hope to continue this adventure during future travels.

Cindy also enjoys cross-stitch and scrapbooking. Between them, Dennis and Cindy share nineteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They also have a dog and cat.

Nominated by her daughter

Cindy was nominated for the Silent Advocate award by her daughter Sally. Of her mother, Sally said, “Cindy is the epitome of a quiet volunteer. The work she has done to weave a stronger fabric across our great community simply cannot be quantified, but we’d hate for it to be ignored. She does all of this work with a quiet grace, an infectious joy for life, and a deep sense of servitude.” D

By Andrea Busche