What is a volunteer? They are folks just like you and I. Seniors are one of our most prolific volunteers. Volunteers see a need to help without pay the many individuals and organizations in our community. The seniors at the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors (TAPS) are a good example of volunteering at its best. They have many combined years of experience.
Some of the many ways the seniors have volunteered are in children’s wards in hospitals, where they would offer understanding and hand out cuddly teddy bears, helping out in extended care at the Creston Valley Hospital with social care and some seniors even offer piano lessons.
They are willing to help with children's reading, craft projects and cooking programs in school. Seniors will volunteer with Sunday school at local churches. Some seniors volunteer to cook at church functions, and also cook at other functions in the community.
Seniors centres, with all that entails, include many functions and programs for exercise, games and meals, as well as driving seniors to their appointments and shopping.
Seniors volunteer at our local library and school library, helping with art projects. Some still help at Gleaners, the food bank, the museum, the legion, curling and with the Girl Guides. Our seniors helped and were in the fashion show fundraiser for TAPS.
At TAPS they peel apples and help make the many pies they sell at TAPS. They also help cut up donated vegetables to freeze for meals at TAPS.
Remember the hot luncheon for the 2010 torch run for the Olympics? Our seniors that ran in the torch run, were the people that helped cook that lunch.
The gentleman that keeps the TAPS buses running is one of our most cherished volunteers. He searched far and wide to find our TAPS buses, went to try them out, brought them back and made the changes that were needed.
This was his first time volunteering; he did so because he saw that something had to be done to help the seniors at TAPS keep mobile.
If the powers to be could see all the volunteering that is done for and by these many seniors, maybe they would reconsider funding. Our seniors are the ones who made this country great, are they not?
You may ask, why do seniors volunteer? Many feel like giving back to the community, as they have been so fortunate in their lifetime. Volunteering gives them a sense of worth.
There is never a question of whether to volunteer. This was taught to them as youngsters. Coming from a family that does this gives you a feeling of wanting to give back.
If you ask any senior you see and ask if they have volunteered, they will tell you yes, whether it be for a short time or for many years. They will say that in their younger days they did not volunteer so much. Many worked and reared children. Those stay-at-home moms usually volunteered at their children’s school. Once they retired, they made many commitments.
After interviewing many TAPS seniors, I feel honoured to write these stories about the seniors.
I like to say that volunteering has intrinsic value, that is, something of value we each get from volunteering that we cannot get from doing anything else. We each volunteer for personal reasons that make us feel good. These can come from our upbringing or the experiences we have had in our lives that other volunteers have given to us. Intrinsic is very hard to explain, but a good word to describe the benefits of volunteering.
Volunteering with seniors or for seniors makes you feel energized and want to make a difference in our world. Come out, get involved and see how good you will feel.
Marleyne Krell is a volunteer with the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors.