Aging and Disability Services
May 13, 2022
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA — Three Chesterfield residents were inducted into the county’s Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony Thursday afternoon. Sarah Gregory, Mary Katterfield and David Peat were selected from a group of 17 nominees for the 2022 Hall of Fame class.
They join 86 others in the Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame, which was established in 1982 to recognize seniors who provide outstanding volunteer service to the Chesterfield community.
The program was conceived by Dorothy Charles, who worked with the Council on Aging and the Board of Supervisors to develop and sustain it. It is now administered by the county’s Office of Aging & Disability Services.
In 2015, the minimum eligibility age was lowered from 65 to 60. Past nominees have ranged in age from 60 to 98.
Since turning 60, this year’s Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame nominees cumulatively have donated more than 89,000 hours of service to the community.
Learn more about Chesterfield’s 2022 inductees below.
Sarah Gregory
Gregory, a lifelong Chesterfield resident, is a longtime local volunteer. As a leader of 4-H groups, she teaches kids development skills, leadership, family life skills, crafts, sewing and public speaking. She uses her experience in textiles to lead an annual holiday multi-generational outreach program; the 4-H youth craft handmade stockings that are filled and given to semi-homebound seniors.
At the Chesterfield County Fair, Gregory has served as superintendent of 4-H programs for more than 30 years, checking in items for exhibits and judging and supervising 4-H youth keeping the grounds clean. She also is a Commonwealth Girl Scout leader and teaches girls parliamentary procedure, leadership, how to conduct a flag ceremony, sewing, camping and business skills in their annual cookie sales.
Gregory served the Blackwell Elementary PTA in the classroom, helped students plant and maintain a school garden and chaperoned field trips. She currently serves as a member of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia’s Black History Committee.
Mary Katterfield
Following a career that spanned more than 40 years, Katterfield relocated to Chesterfield for retirement. On her first day here, she visited the Aging & Disability Services office to introduce herself and explore volunteer opportunities.
Katterfield enrolled in citizen academies for Chesterfield Police, Fire & EMS, government and schools. She became a board member for Chesterfield Triad and joined the Council on Aging, volunteering for programs and events hosted by all of these organizations. She has also served the county as an election officer and a jury commissioner.
Katterfield became a certified Master Gardener and provides outreach program service for Chesterfield’s Cooperative Extension Office. She has organized library fundraisers and tutored second and third grade students. Four years ago, she started the Solo Traveler program at Stonebridge Recreation Center, which provides education on relevant and current topics for those who would like to travel solo—and feel comfortable with doing so.
David Peat
Peat, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and his wife have lived in Chester since 1978. Through the Senior Connections’ Volunteer Money Management Program (VMMP), he helps clients pay their bills and manage their finances, enabling them to make educated financial choices and help reduce predatory practices aimed at vulnerable clients.
Peat hosts a weekly Bible study at Lucy Corr Assisted Living; he sets up the room and leads the group in prayer, song, and the spoken Word. He is also director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at his church. He ensures they have instructors to lead classes, supplies and materials, and serves as a substitute when needed.
For 10 years, Peat served as president of his community’s homeowners association, presiding over the architectural review board and monitoring the HOA’s budget and expenditures. When asked what he does with his time now that he's retired, Peat replied, “Find a way to volunteer—I have a fully loaded life and I love it!”