50+ Lifestyles

Volunteerism

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

“Volunteers are unpaid not because they’re worthless,
but because they are priceless.”
                                        … Sherry Anderson

Every Tuesday morning Gary and I serve as volunteer ambassadors for the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. We are stationed in one of the four information booths at the Regional Southwest Florida airport. Our job is to keep the booths stocked with literature about the area and to be available to answer questions with a smile on our face. The easiest and most common questions involve retrieving luggage, finding a departure gate, and giving out information on restaurants or shops available both in the terminal and the surrounding area. There are certainly more difficult challenges, such as helping someone find a lost item; locating a nearby hotel when a flight has been cancelled; or getting a disorientated customer to the proper facilities for help. In early January a distraught man approached my kiosk…he had left all of his personal belongings at his previous airport in the TSA security area, thus arriving at the Fort Myers airport with no ID, no money or credit cards. We connected him with the airline personnel, and they escorted him to his next flight, flew him back to Dallas to retrieve his lost items and back to Fort Myers at no cost. While on duty we must stay alert to any potential problems that might arise and make the airport experience pleasurable and positive for all passengers, whether they are arriving or departing.

In addition to our weekly four hour shift we have opportunities to visit and tour businesses in the area. Last week the Westin in Cape Coral gave us a tour of their beautiful resort followed by a delicious complimentary lunch in one of their restaurants. Earlier this season we toured Sun Harvest produce market and Hammond stadium, the Minnesota Twins spring training facility. Other opportunities are working the tourism kiosk at the Red Sox and Twins stadiums, helping train the security canines at the airport, and working other special events in the Lee County area.

Why do Gary and I feel a need to volunteer in our retirement years? Before retirement we were both involved in various organizations in our respective communities and found that it enriched our lives. We both love meeting and helping people, not to mention the perk of finding out about new places and events in the area.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, 66.8% of people 65 and older volunteer, making it the largest age group to do so. Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. My role as a volunteer gives me a sense of pride and identity, which leads to a more positive view of life in general. It is easy to lose our self-identity when we retire and leave our life work. Volunteering helps replenish that feeling of being needed. Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering keeps one in regular contact with others and helps develop a solid support system. Volunteering also helps maintain our physical health. Our airport job definitely gets us up and moving around and gives our Fitbit a boost!

In 1991 President George W. Bush established April as National Volunteer month. He strongly believed that it was important to give back to the community and country in which one lived. He recognized that serving others enriched the giver’s soul. If volunteering is not already a part of your life, this month would be a good time to consider it. The benefits are immeasurable.

“No one is useless in this world
who lightens the burdens of another.”

Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of four books: The West End Kid, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving, Hotel Blackhawk; A Century of Elegance, and United Ebenezer Methodist Church: 150 Years of Resiliency.