Anne and John have donated an aggregate 30 years of volunteer service to ElderHelp and were recently honored at Essence of Life with our Volunteer Spotlight Award. Anne was a librarian in Coronado when she saw an ad in the local newspaper for grocery shopping help needed for seniors. As a young adult who had left home, she watched her siblings care for their elderly mom, and in these later years she feels volunteering at ElderHelp is a symbolic way to take her turn in caring for seniors.
Watching Anne in action, and recalling his mother’s volunteer work, John knew he’d like to help too. So he started making RUOK calls to our clients one morning each week. That was fulfilling, but he found his real calling when he started helping with home repairs and garden maintenance. As years went by, John realized that there were hazards in some of the residences he visited. So he created a home safety inspection list and started making home modifications to reduce the risk falls in the home. He’s gone on to train a handy group of volunteers whose skillful dedication results in ElderHelp clients having a 10% lower incidence of falls than the average San Diego senior.
Recently, Anne has found her niche by driving seniors to doctor’s appointments and social engagements. She delights in conversation and the friendships made along the way.
And this dedicated couple has no intention of slowing down. They know they make a difference to this special population and to ElderHelp with the idea that paying it forward is just the right idea for all of us.