Get to know your TRAAC volunteers

This column highlights some of our dedicated volunteers here at TRAAC. Without the assistance they provide, many tasks would go undone or you would experience a long wait time for the help, service, assistance or program joy they bring each day to our center. Each issue, we feature two volunteers so you are able to get to know them better, address them by name and also to make sure you thank them for the service they provide to all of us; staff, members, participants and outside visitors as well. If you volunteer with us and would like to be featured in the “Get To Know Your TRAAC Volunteers” column, please see Paula.

STEVE YUHAS

Steve is the guy you see at the senior center all the time and is here most days of the week!! He also volunteers time at the center to help make it a better place. Steve serves as the current President of the Participant’s Council. In that role he leads the meetings and works with the other members and with Sue McIntyre to develop the agenda in advance. He likes to talk with consumers to find out their concerns and suggestions so he is able to take those things back to the council. Steve also volunteers as a server at lunch, a bartender at evening events, assisting other consumers with IT and tech issues, and he also volunteers with the Big Brother Big Sister Program here at TRAAC.

Volunteering is a joy for Steve because he really likes to meet people and listen to their life stories. His favorite thing about volunteering is helping others and learning new things. Steve also volunteers at the YMCA. Steve is a retired engineer with over 45 years of service in the field. The last 32 years of his work was devoted to waste water engineering which is very crucial to the environment. One thing we may not know about Steve is he used to be an avid tennis player. Recently he has changed his focus to some new adventures which include hiking and bike riding.

AUDREY WILKINS

Audrey has been a member of TRAAC for a few years, but it was in January 2019 when she assumed the role of “Craft Lady”. Audrey helped to sell what crafts were already collected upstairs and manned a craft sales table each week in the dining room earning money for TRAAC. Once the renovations were complete in the Craft Room, Audrey began teaching craft classes each week. Some of these crafts are still sold for the center and some are kept by the people who take the craft classes. Audrey also is the backup Bingo Caller for Bingo Day when a substitute is needed.

As you talk to Audrey, you know she is from England because she still has the sweet accent making her sound like the queen! She also has some great stories of growing up in England. Audrey may not share this, but she was a beauty queen at age 17 and was crowned Miss Birmingham….so, she is really a queen!! Audrey loves to volunteer because she loves people; she is a people person. She loves to be of service to people and loves to see people happy. She feels it is important to pay it forward in the world.

Audrey is also a very active volunteer at her church as a greeter, the Platter with Chatter group and with the card ministry for the ill or shut in. Before retiring, Audrey worked as a bank manager for 13 years and after that went on to work as a tour guide for Valley Forge Park dressed up as Martha Washington. I am sure she made a fabulous First Lady!!!