Victor H.
Looking back at his career, Victor is reminded of his time at an advertising and printing company and then as a driver at Everett Transit and Metro.
Victor especially enjoyed his time as a driver because of the freedom in picking his route and flexibility in time he could work. Two memories from Metro stood out for him. One involved a woman who boarded and decorated his bus with festive Christmas lights. The other memory involved a rider who set up a table complete with a coffee pot at his regular stop.
Victor retired at the age of 73 and realized he had time to pursue his passion of golfing. However, he was still looking for something to do.
He became connected with Homage after witnessing Minor Home Repair put in a door for one of his neighbors. When they told him they were looking for volunteers it struck a chord. He had previous experience in repair work for participants through the Edmonds Senior Center so this opportunity was right up his alley. Victor joined Homage’s Minor Home Repair program as a volunteer and conducts health and safety assessments for many clients.
Victor’s advice is “if you want a fulfilling life, you should volunteer. It isn’t physically demanding and if you are sympathetic, earnest and concerned about people, it is very fulfilling.”
He feels he gets almost as much out of volunteering as the effort he puts into it. Volunteering with Minor Home Repair clients has made him appreciate his good health and his good fortune. He is now more aware of people who don’t have it as good as he does. Ultimately, what drives Victor to continue his volunteering is connecting with others. He says that as we age, “we need to do what we can and make allowances to keep at it.” Thank you Victor for being our unsung hero.
Orin F.
Orin worked for the Everett School District untilhe was 56 and then decided to run his own business for the next 20 years. He began his journey of volunteering at age 76.
His first volunteer experience was as an Ombudsman for Long-Term Care in Snohomish County. Tapping into this experience soon led him to Senior Services of Snohomish County, now Homage.
It took another six months for him to find his niche — the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisers (SHIBA). He joined the program when Medicare made it mandatory to have prescription drug coverage. It was also Medicare Open Enrollment time, so volunteers were diligently working five days a week. They were determined to rise to the challenge of making Part D understandable to those they helped. He loves the challenge of volunteering and giving clients the best counseling for their respective circumstances.
I asked him how he was able to be so successful and he said, “you need to take the time to get to know who you are helping and know something about their health. I listen to them.” The clients’ show of gratitude “lights him up.” He shared that when working with the population we serve, you can run across some tough cases and advises that you do what you can and to let the rest go. He also loves the fact when you volunteer, you are able to take money out of the equation. Per Orin, “If you want to make a difference, you volunteer.”
Thank you, Orin, for teaching us that the power of volunteering is simply one that cannot be ignored.
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