Every community has, at its core, people in the know: politicians, merchants or lifelong residents, who keep their fingers on the town pulse. Katharine Swibold is none of these and yet, few would argue that she is one of Tarrytown’s most well-versed residents, a virtual clearinghouse of helpful news and information about anything and everything in the village.

Just knowing as much as she does about what’s going on in town is not all that makes Swibold admirable, however; it’s that she directs information to a broad network which, in turn, extends the awareness, caring and outreach that makes Tarrytown unique and beloved to many.

If you have a computer, then you’ve probably experienced Swibold’s online activism: her calls for donations of canned foods and winter coats; reminders to vote or attend public hearings; rallies to support student car washes, bake sales and plays; notices of parades, street fairs and daffodil planting: activities that bring people together and, more important, create opportunities for them to help each other.

“People think I know everything, so they tell me everything,” said Swibold, who was honored in May at the annual dinner-dance for the Foundation of the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns. “People can do a lot more than they think they can. It just takes little things. I like to connect people and I like to help people make connections.”

Swibold, who recently left her post as executive director of the Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce for an administrative position in the development and alumni affairs department at Barnard College, grew up with parents who valued volunteerism, liberalism and believing in doing work that mattered.

With a degree in English from Smith College, Swibold, 49, has followed that creed by working as a fundraiser for the American Farm School, for the late philanthropist Stewart Mott, for a literacy assistance center, and the Mental Health Association of Westchester; and, through exhaustive volunteering for Smith College; AYSO ; the Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns; the Elementary PTA of the Tarrytowns; the Community Nursery School; and the Ethel Walker School. She is also a member of the Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Arts Council.

“It’s always been important to me to do something I care about,” she said.

Her alma matter, whose choral program initially attracted Swibold, continues to play an important role in her life. A dedicated alum, she volunteers for the school’s Alumnae Fund and Association. Maintaining a close relationship with Smith College ultimately helped her land her first job.

“That’s how it always works for me. You just keep talking to people,” she said.

Attending an all-girls college, like attending an all-girls high school, also worked well for Swibold.

“I grew up learning to value the notion that it’s good and empowering to be in a place where women run everything,” she said, noting her mother graduated Bryn Mawr College in 1955 and was class president. Both her parents practiced the kind of social and community activism that shaped Swibold’s life, with her mother’s boldness being especially inspirational.

“I liked the idea of being with a lot of smart women and not having men interrupting and being given all the attention, which is statistically what happens in coed situations, she said. “The old-girl network has not failed me.”

In 1992, Swibold moved to Tarrytown with her husband, Jordan Becker, and their then-two-year-old son, Adam. (Adam will be a sophomore at Skidmore College in September, while daughter Hannah will be a junior at Sleepy Hollow High School.)

While both children have had great experiences in the school district, Swibold said she remembers a time when disappointment ran high. The renovation of the middle and high schools has helped turn things around.

“A healthy school district is important to the health of a community,” said Swibold, in her second year on the school board.

But, a good school district alone does not make a healthy community. It takes a feeling of connectedness and caring; that the efforts of one will reach many. Swibold creates that, although she does her best to deflect praise.

“I love this community,” she said. “I love the people in this community and I feel lucky to be a part of it.”