Photo cut line: Erika with her “Real Doll Children”
The Teacher, The Creator, The Real Doll Maker
Erika Schoell is grace and dignity in motion. With a serenity that could calm the fiercest beast, she lives joyously and fearlessly in the present. She is an inspiration with her lovely presence and the positive life choices she continues to make daily. A patron and promoter of the arts, culture, and music, she has had a diverse background of volunteerism. She has lived a life of dedication from enriching the world through philanthropic endeavors to listening thoughtfully to the problems of others. It is this last talent that makes her such an ideal candidate for the role of Senior Peer Counselor.
Senior Peer Counselors are trained volunteers who connect seniors with services in the community that help them maintain independence and find solutions to challenging life changes. Erika’s thoughtful insights are priceless in helping seniors move their lives toward positive, independent decision making. She and four other talented Senior Peer Counselors in Corvallis work under the supervision of Benton County Mental Health, providing solutions to a variety of circumstances: problem solving, financial guidance, grief counseling, end of life planning, life adjustments, and family dynamics.
Moving from Germany with her family in 1984 to Fullerton, California, Erika certainly is intimate with major life changes. Not speaking the language of her new country (“I studied French in school”) she began a doll business her second year in California. What began as a hobby in Germany has flourished into a prosperous business. Immersing herself in the culture and the language, she began teaching doll making to her neighbors. A visit to her website, Erika’s Real Doll Children reveals the tenets of her life:
“Doll making is a transforming experience. My doll classes are sessions of the awakening of the soul and the creative side in each of us” (www.antoniadolls.com).
While living in Fullerton, she was a member for many years of Florence Crittenton, an agency that opened its doors to single pregnant mothers, where she donated her dolls for fundraising. She was also a member of Fullerton Friends of Music, “because music is international,” she says. The member fees paid for four concerts per year that were presented to the public free of charge. In addition, she was the program chair for the Muckenthaler Cultural Center where she was responsible for organizing programs. An active volunteer and advocate of the arts, she left many richer for her contributions and experience.
In 1999, she moved to the East Bay area where she joined two hiking groups. It was in a women’s hiking group that she met a woman who was a Senior Peer Counselor. Her interest piqued, she called to find out more, only to discover a training beginning the very next day. Erika joined and completed the training. She says, “They were a wonderful group of people and there were two exquisite trainers from the Health Department.” She worked with the SPC in California for two years before she moved to Corvallis, Oregon, in August 2005, where she now works with the SPC in Corvallis.
Benton County’s five senior peer counselors provide a solid, stable, and cohesive support system to one another, enhancing client service. The five counselors continue to meet weekly under the guidance and supervision of the Benton County Health Department. New insights and conflict resolution are often the immediate benefits of sharing with their peer group.
Erika continues to be an inspiration of growth to others. Through yoga and meditation, she maintains the balance and central core of her life. Her membership in the Academy of Lifelong Learning and the Fine Arts Strands is a further testament to her drive to enrich herself, which enriches us all.