Serving Together

Shelby County is lucky to have so many helping hands who have chosen to serve many of our local community organizations.  We often hear stories of individuals who decide to start serving after they have retired.  Such is the case with Tim and Janice Conway who have dedicated a great deal of their time after retirement to serving Shelby together as a couple. 
”We have been serving at Shelby Senior Services for over 5 years.  We volunteer in a variety of ways such as leading stained glass classes, helping deliver the Horizons newsletter, presentations at Lunch and Learn, serve on the Centers Advisory Committee and are monthly supporters of the Food Pantry.  We volunteer as it is a way to give back to our community which has been a lifelong value.  We could not imagine retirement without service.  We do also volunteer with our home church.  Tim is involved in the monthly Prayer Group Breakfast in which Janice assist in preparing the meal.  Volunteering makes the both of us feel that we can still help people.  We volunteer because we can!!  Nothing we do would be possible without the strength of the Lord.  We saw retirement as traveling for fun, but we were lead to Wisconsin for 10 summers to learn new arts, meet new people, work with people from all over the world and came away with many Forever Friends, getting us prepared to serve our community and volunteer locally.” 

Ginni Tutterow

A few weeks before my wedding last July, Ginni stopped me in front of the library’s plaza to ask me how things were going. She told me about her own experience of wedding dress shopping and gave me some solid advice (…with a few appropriate curse words thrown in!!…) about not letting the ‘@#!!’ details get too overwhelming! We talked for close to 20 minutes before she rolled on her way down Broadway St. and I went back to work.

The first time that I met her she was volunteering and leading the adult book discussion group at the library in 2005. I was slightly intimidated by her wit. For the next fourteen years, she held me accountable for the promotional work that I was doing for the library and Shelby County Reads. I relied on her to catch typos on fliers, articles, and the information that we were posting online. There was no better editor. She was quick, frank …and typically right! She didn’t like too many commas. She caught the appropriate usage of words such as ‘pored’ and ‘poured.’ On the Shelby County Reads committee, she never bit her tongue about books that she didn’t like and she passionately lobbied for the books that she did enjoy. Not long before she passed, she had almost single-handedly gotten Shelby County Reads set-up as an official nonprofit organization. She managed all of the legal paperwork and served as treasurer.

At ‘Books and Brews,’ a library book discussion group that meets at Cagney’s once a month, a chair was always pulled out for Ginni. Jason Aukerman who is a co-leader of the group wrote, ‘It is hard to believe we will never again encounter the chuckles, the well-timed wisecracks, the trenchant commentaries on the characters we meet in our monthly readings, and the utterly unique and wise perspective that Ginni brought to our table every month.’ At one of those meetings, I sat across from Ginni and learned more about her family. Her father was a doctor; her brother was a genius who died young. Ginni was warm and a great conversationalist. She also was always willing to help, made a point to get involved, was an activist and she got things done.

‘Retired’ is not how I thought of Ginni. She kept as busy as a full-time employee. She volunteered at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, at the Shelby County Public Library in the Genealogy Department, with Shelby County Reads, along with several more organizations throughout the year. As long as the meetings or programs didn’t interrupt her Mah jongg games, she was typically present.

A couple of years back, I had to drop off some tedious promotional mailers that needed folded, stuffed and inserted into labeled envelopes at her home. She asked me if I would like to stay longer and for some reason I didn’t. It’s one regret that I have because I have no doubt that I would have learned more about her and enjoyed my time. I will miss Ginni and cannot think of better person to honor as a volunteer.

Laura Land, Friends of the Library, Inc.

Emily Campbell

Shortly after I retired from teaching in 2006, Janet Compton called and asked if I would be willing to substitute for a while for Meals on Wheels since her delivery partner was going to be off for a while.  When that person couldn’t return to the route, I continued delivering with Janet three to four times per month.  Janet and I are friends from high school so we can always find plenty to talk about along the three and one half to four hour route.  I subbed for two other individuals while they were off for health reasons, and I ultimately added those days too.  Currently, I deliver 8-9 days per month and sometimes more when needed.  I call it my exercise routine in lieu of visiting the gym.  There are usually seven heavy food containers to lift, a van to exit and enter while delivering to up to 60 individuals, and lots of vigorous walking including stairs.  The physical benefits pale in comparison to the feeling of satisfaction from helping others maintain a healthy independent life as long as possible.

It is important to maintain stability both for the clients we serve as well as for the Meals on Wheels organization.  I think my life as an educator prepared me for this particular volunteer situation as you can’t just stay home, there are people waiting on you to help them.  I was raised by great community-minded parents, Mac and Lela McKeand, who believed in being dependable, responsible, and in giving back to the community.  They instilled that focus on my brother and me.  Our clients count on us being there not only with their meal(s), but with a smile and a kind word or two.  Sometimes we are their only human contact throughout the day.  In our brief visit we can quickly sense if things are not normal and make the appropriate calls—family, emergency personnel, etc.  Unfortunately, sometimes the crisis situation is obvious and requires quick action.  Relatives are always grateful when we call about unusual happenings concerning their loved ones.

There is a feeling of “paying it forward” because we never know when we will need the faithful support of volunteers.  However, I volunteer because I truly enjoy making life easier for others, expecting nothing in return.  I can wholeheartedly say that I receive far more from delivering Meals on Wheels than I could ever give.  I love all of our clients where they are in their various states of health.

Volunteering keeps me young at heart.  My mother always told me this.  “Age is a state of mind.  Keep your mind active and it will help your whole being stay useful to the world.”  Meals on Wheels presents a great opportunity to stay physically and mentally active while helping others maintain their independence and health.

Rose Allen

Rose has been donating her time and talents to the Shelby Senior Services for the past 10 years. She volunteers 16-20 hours per week! She helps with many different areas at the center including the travel show, working the desk and helping staff members with whatever they might need at the time. Buffy Powers, Coordinator of Volunteer and Ancillary Services, said that Rose has made such an impact on their organization. "Rose is faithful and dedicated to doing a good job. She continues to be available and is always willing to help out. She takes her volunteering seriously. Working hard to help others and the staff is her main goal."

Some may call it work, but Rose says that her life dream was to help others. "It helps me give back and gives me worth. Volunteering at Shelby Senior Services helps so many people and I am a part of that."

Buffy says that volunteers are the backbone of what Shelby Senior Services does each and every day.

The DeBaun Ladies

Christine DeBaun and her daughters have been volunteering their time and talents to the Grover Museum for the last couple of years. Through their service, Christine and her daughters have made new, lasting friendships, learned more about Shelby County and its history, and helped the museum on many different levels including increasing event attendance. “As we got to know the director, Alex Krach, and assistant director, Sarah Newkirk, my interest in volunteering grew. They have great energy and passion for our community and its history. Donating time and efforts may be beneficial to the Historical Society and the Grover Museum in some tangible ways, but most of all, I feel better about myself and our community.”

Sarah Newkirk, Executive Director, said that even though the organization has a great group of volunteers already, they are always looking for more. “We have project specific needs like maintenance, event planning, decorating, and exhibit prep. For those looking to volunteer on a more consistent schedule, we are always looking for folks to serve at our welcome desk and greet visitors, answer the phones, and point guests in the right direction.”