Meet Sarah Halligan, Director of Senior Services & Transportation at the Center on Broad, the Albertville Senior Center! At 25 years old, Sarah may be the youngest Department Head in the city, but she is already packed with a wealth of unique experience.
Sarah’s academic journey began at Sewanee, "the University of the South," where she majored in Psychology and minored in Spanish. She earned a certificate in Civic & Global Leadership by completing 500 hours of community service as a student. For her Capstone project, she designed intergenerational programs to enrich seniors' lives, from giant potluck events to clean-up days where students helped maintain elderly residents' properties. While in college, her volunteer work with the non-profit, “Folks at Home,” which supports elderly individuals lacking familial companionship, would spark her lifelong passion and future career field.
Sarah continued her education with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama, focusing on adults and families. During this time, she interned with Shepherd’s Cove Hospice in Bereavement, eventually becoming their Palliative Care Director. She joined the Albertville team in November of 2023 and finds joy in her role, saying, “It doesn’t feel like work." When asked what she might be doing in another life, Sarah simply responded, "This is exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up!" We love that answer.
In her wildest dreams, she said she would love to open a long term care facility for seniors, a place families would actually want to send their loved ones to live. It's not always commonplace for a person's genuine passion to align with their career choice. We, at the City of Albertville, are grateful to have Sarah on our team, and are proud of the work she and the staff of the Center on Broad are doing everyday!