Karen Sinkway: Making a Lasting Impact

Every day, hundreds of people in our community, mostly without recognition, get out and do the work it takes to keep hundreds of non-profits and churches functioning and able to fulfill their missions. Murrells Inlet resident, Karen Sinkway, is one of those dedicated volunteers. Outgoing, friendly and quick to laugh, Karen has channeled her love for animals, art, music and people into an incredible variety of volunteer work – all with a lasting impact. “Before the quarantine, I had something to do almost every day.”

Widowed, Karen lives alone with her two dogs, a cavashon and a poodle. Her poodle is still a puppy and his antics have kept her busy and entertained over the past months of quarantine while much of her volunteer work was on hold. “My late husband, Jim, and I moved here in 2002 from Bucks County in Pennsylvania,” Karen began. “Our daughter, Rebecca, was 11 at the time. She is married now and lives in Myrtle Beach. I also have a stepson, James, who lives in Surfside Beach with his wife, Holly.” Karen’s two grandsons, James’ sons, are currently attending the College of Charleston.

Before Karen retired, she worked at Brookgreen Gardens, serving as an Interpreter for history tours, and eventually becoming former CEO, Bob Jewell’s executive assistant for 4 ½ years before his retirement. “Around the time Bob retired, Jim’s health had declined and I couldn’t work any longer,” Karen remembered.

“I studied history, biology and art history in college, and was a French language major,” Karen told me as she shared her love of Brookgreen. “It fits in perfectly with my interests.” Karen and Jim had visited Brookgreen as tourists before they moved here permanently, and soon after their move, the family became members. “I’ve always done a lot of volunteer work for our church also, which kept me busy while I was working.”

“We all want our community to be a better place to live and work,” Karen said when I asked her why she decided to devote so much of her time to volunteering. “You meet wonderful people, have a lot of fun and give back – it’s a win-win!” After Jim passed, Karen joined the Friends of Brookgreen, a volunteer organization that holds special fundraisers for the non-profit twice a year. “After I joined, they decided I should be the chair for our Brew at the Zoo fundraiser.” Karen laughed at this, but told me it was a lot of fun and very successful. “We raised $27,000 last year!”

I was fascinated by Karen’s work in Brookgreen’s Frog Watch Group. This group helps scientists gauge the health of our environment through counting the calls of various species of frogs and toads. “We are citizen scientists,” Karen said proudly. “We had to study and be certified to provide data to the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums).” Karen learned to identity frog and toad calls and would sit outside every night, recording what she heard. “Amphibians are very susceptible to the health of the environment. I would record the temperature and the weather as well as the number of calls.”

Brookgreen’s current exhibit of Bruce Munro’s light installations, Southern Light, includes a frog exhibit, complete with lights and the sounds of frogs, and Karen helped with the installation. “You can hear the real frogs, too, when you’re out there!”

Even when time doesn’t allow her to volunteer, Karen’s sense of community has an impact. When Karen and Jim decided to move to Murrells Inlet, Rebecca was, at first, not happy to leave her home and friends. “We promised her horseback riding lessons,” Karen said. “She had always been fascinated with horses, and I taught horseback riding during the summers while I was in college, so we were both excited.”

Sophie, Rebecca’s horse, had a serious leg injury a few years ago and while she can no longer show, she is perfect as a therapy horse. “Sophie now lives at Barnabas Horse Foundation where she’s been a therapy horse for six years.” Karen added that Sophie and a friend’s horse, named Lady, volunteered at two of Brookgreen’s Kentucky Derby fundraising events providing photo ops for the guests.

As Karen and I continued to chat, I was amazed by her list of talents, and how she so willingly shares them with all of us. “I’ve always sung in church choirs and sang with the Coastal Choral locally. When we lived in Tennessee, I sang with the Nashville Symphony Chorus and in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburg Oratorical Society.” While Karen’s church, St. Paul’s Waccamaw United Methodist, is not having services at the time of this interview, she is still involved, recently recording a duet to be aired during a virtual service. And, there’s more. Also through her church, Karen belongs to a group, Blankets for Babies, that knits blankets, sweaters and caps for an organization in Georgetown.

“I dabble in a little bit of this and that,” Karen laughed when I asked her what else she did. “I took my first sculpture class last year and it turns out I have a knack for it. I think if you’re interested in something, you should pursue it. We get complacent staying at home. It’s easy to fall into depression or lethargy if you don’t keep moving.”

Karen told me that her mother, age 93, has only stopped volunteering because of the quarantine. “She’s always volunteered with the symphony and still supports them, even at her age. She keeps moving and is still driving and lives alone with her dog.” Laughing, Karen said, “She has been complaining she can’t get her bridge club together because of COVID-19.”

“The first time I remember volunteering, I was vacationing in Florida with my parents. They were looking at a brochure, and I slipped away and volunteered myself to hold a five foot indigo snake around my neck.” Karen chuckled and said that was not something her mother would have done! “I really love all animals, but I think dogs and horses are my favorite.”

“The quarantine has helped me relax a little,” Karen admitted. “These days, my social life is going to my neighborhood park in Wachesaw.” Residents are allowed to bring their dogs every afternoon and Karen enjoys seeing dogs of every size and breed. “We all chat outside at a safe distance.”

As we finished our interview, Karen shared some of her personal philosophy that keeps her active and volunteering as much as possible. “I believe some of the problems we have today are because people isolate themselves and don’t get involved. It’s easy to get suspicious of others – the more you are involved in your community, the more you understand it. People who are retired should volunteer. And have pets! Both will bring you joy.”