Volunteering
a hiccup and someone can’t come in, I call them and they say, ‘Where are we going today?’”
“There’s a lot of reward in assisting people in need,” Jim Bahn said.
“Meals on Wheels gives you the opportunity to interact with people who are lonely,” Sandy Bahn said. “They like to chat. It’s interesting and rewarding. Being out and about with people uses your brain, and when more in-person volunteering programs open back up, I’m confident I can find additional ways to help out.”
Maxine Topping, a retired nonprofit staffer, works with Mitzvah Circle in Norristown to provide non-food items to people in need.
“I select and pack requested items such as clothing, diapers, school supplies — essential daily items,” she said. “When I arrive, one of the volunteer coordinators says, ‘Hi Maxine, Thanks for coming today. It really makes a difference.’ I certainly didn’t get that when I was working!”
Topping authored a selfhelp book, “U Owe You: Taking Responsibility for Creating the Life You Decide.” She credits Mitzvah Circle clients for “taking the initiative to seek help and not giving up on the possibilities for a better life.”
Volunteering, she says, “allows me to savor the senior season of my life and play a small role to make a difference for those in need.”
It’s a pleasure
Perky Cohen, 91, was a longtime English as a second language (ESL) volunteer before she and her late husband moved to the Rydal Park senior living community in Jenkintown, Montgomery County. There, Cohen, a wood carver, volunteered to create an art program that now includes two galleries.
“I get a lot of pleasure from volunteering,” she
said. “It enriches the community. It’s very important to volunteer.”
As for her nickname, “When I was on my bassinette, my mother said I was a perky little thing.”
Le Chang came to the U.S. at age 15 as a refugee from Vietnam. At Drexel University, where she studied software engineering, she met her husband and returned with him to his native city, Hong Kong. There, she learned three Chinese dialects and taught English, setting the stage for her current volunteer work as an English as a second language volunteer with the Chester County Opportunities Industrialization Center.
“It’s a great joy, being able to help others,” she said. “It makes me happy that I can contribute. Helping others helps yourself. It helps you to be happier and healthier physically and psychologically.”
Data from the Corporation for National and Community Service confirms “an association between volunteering and mental and physical health benefits. In particular, older volunteers report lower mortality rates, lower rates of depression, fewer physical limitations, and higher levels of well-being.”
Nonprofit RSVP connects volunteers to dozens of community service opportunities. Its programs improve the lives of vulnerable populations by focusing on education and wellness. For information on volunteering, visit rsvpmc. org, email volunteer123@ rsvpmc.org or call 610-8341040, ext. 123.