Sylvia is from Donegal on the West Coast of Ireland. She was 18 when moved to the South of England where she studied Hotel and Catering Management, progressing onto flight catering and then eventually became a flight service manager with Virgin Atlantic Airways. After meeting her husband Jerome, who is a pilot for FedEx, she moved to California in 2002, subsequently getting married and having Xavier (17) and Ava (15), who are currently attending San Clemente High School.

Sylvia became aware of COA in 2017 and volunteered with Food Connection. Her role here is coordinating the donations from the local grocery stores through our volunteers and on to supplying our seniors and families in need.

She believes that it is essential to give back in life by helping others and promotes this in all aspects of her life.