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The Home for Little Wanderers Celebrates Beverly Woman Rosemary Broadbent retires after 30-year commitment to adopted children "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child" - unknown BOSTON — When Beverly resident Rosemary Broadbent, LSW, walks out the doors of The Home for Little Wanderers’ in Jamaica Plain on May 30th, she’ll officially be retired. But, her commitment to making a difference in the lives of adopted children and their families won’t stop there. "I never questioned whether my work was worthwhile. I was continually amazed at the courage that our kids showed, and that was energizing," said Broadbent who has been an adoption social worker for 30 years. "I’m looking forward to retiring and not having to commute— just in the nick of time! My plan is to travel to Europe and across the country, catch up with friends who have already retired, spend time with my family…volunteer with an adoption support group for LGBT families and work as a fee-for-service worker at The Home." As a former teacher and parent of three sons, Broadbent realized early on that she wanted to work in a field that allowed her to encourage others to make a difference in the life of a child. "I taught English for 11 years before I was introduced to Boston Children’s Services. I became a volunteer and as a result of that experience, I decided to change careers, retrained as a social worker, went to work fulltime at Boston Children’s Services (which merged with The Home in 1999) and have been here ever since," she said. And Rosemary Broadbent’s relationship with The Home started before the merger. "I always remember the first time I met Rosemary," said Paula Wisnewski, Director of Adoption at The Home for Little Wanderers. "I’d just graduated from college as a social worker and was attending a meeting. In the corner, there was a very outspoken woman who was clearly a dedicated advocate to the rights of children. She left a lasting impression on me. A few years passed and I met her again. Then after another few years later, when we merged with Boston Children’s Services, I found out she was going to be on my staff. We have learned so much from each other. She is respected by the clients she’s worked with and I’m proud to say that today she is my friend and co-worker." According to Rosemary, "I think my supervisors would agree that I never ran out of things to learn. I came to work every day knowing that I’d be with people I respected and (most of the time) liked. No one ever says ‘I think I’ll work here for 30 years.’ I took it one year at a time."
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