Last Updated
3/11/03
Lou
Clark, 67, of Woodland, is a retired hairstylist who donates a great
deal of time and energy to various activities at the Woodland Senior Center.
For the last five years, Clark has been spending three days a week helping
with the center's white elephant thrift store, one day a month with commodities,
two days a week with the food bank and two days a week calling bingo.
Clark also serves on the City of Woodland's Commission on Aging.
A native of Carlsbad, N.M., Clark, and her husband, a former airline pilot, moved to Woodland in 1991 after living in the Bay area for nearly 40 years. They have a grown daughter, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Aren't you supposed to be retired?
My husband says I'm busier now than I was before I retired! But it's a good kind of busy. I enjoy every bit of it. I didn't have time to do these things before when I worked. We lived in the Bay area where there wasn't that much opportunity for volunteering and there was too much hustle and bustle.
What volunteer activity do you enjoy the most?
Probably six of one, half a dozen of the other. I enjoy calling bingo, because I enjoy the camaraderie -- it's kind of like a little family. It's a social get-together. And I like the white elephant store, the items that come in, we have real good providers and once in a while we have an estate that comes in and the five of us who work in there pitch in. If something needs cleaning, we clean it, put it together, hang it up, get it ready.
It's open two days a week for the seniors only and one day a week for the public.
We'll have mothers and babies lined up out here for several hours and it's nice to do something for somebody, because we're able to offer things for almost nothing.
What part of your volunteering offers the most challenges?
They're all about the same, really. Like with the commodities, we have a lot of people that if we didn't have these things down here, they wouldn't eat a lot of things they should. Everything is rewarding in its own way.
What motivates you to donate so much time to the senior center?
It's just the feeling of doing something for somebody else. It always gets back to people. Like at church, you're giving back to your community because you've rewarded well yourself. I feel a whole lot better when I'm down here doing things.
What do you like to do when you're not volunteering?
My husband and I like to go for walks, we like to travel and see different parts of the country. We really like to go to Las Vegas because there's so much to see. And going down the Colorado River around Lake Mead is a lot of fun, too.
Is there anything in your life you've wanted to try, but haven't yet?
I think we've done pretty much what we've wanted to. We're kind of what you'd call "free spirits." Our daughter is in her late 40s, and her family's grown, too. We do what we like to do.
Suzannah Reinholdt, program manager for Woodland Senior Center, says of Clark:
Without Lou Clark here, the senior center would be a different place. Lou is a kind person, she's extremely hard working and dedicated to providing programs for seniors. She has a personal interest in it, and without that kind of dedication, not one of those programs, one time, would continue. And she keeps an open mind about things and sees the importance of being able to change your thinking.
A lot of the stuff she does isn't glamorous, and it's not always fun. She's a great example for others, because others seek her leadership. That's very important.
To nominate a volunteer of the month e-mail dave@senior-spectrum.com.
Clark also serves on the City of Woodland's Commission on Aging.
A native of Carlsbad, N.M., Clark, and her husband, a former airline pilot, moved to Woodland in 1991 after living in the Bay area for nearly 40 years. They have a grown daughter, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Aren't you supposed to be retired?
My husband says I'm busier now than I was before I retired! But it's a good kind of busy. I enjoy every bit of it. I didn't have time to do these things before when I worked. We lived in the Bay area where there wasn't that much opportunity for volunteering and there was too much hustle and bustle.
What volunteer activity do you enjoy the most?
Probably six of one, half a dozen of the other. I enjoy calling bingo, because I enjoy the camaraderie -- it's kind of like a little family. It's a social get-together. And I like the white elephant store, the items that come in, we have real good providers and once in a while we have an estate that comes in and the five of us who work in there pitch in. If something needs cleaning, we clean it, put it together, hang it up, get it ready.
It's open two days a week for the seniors only and one day a week for the public.
We'll have mothers and babies lined up out here for several hours and it's nice to do something for somebody, because we're able to offer things for almost nothing.
What part of your volunteering offers the most challenges?
They're all about the same, really. Like with the commodities, we have a lot of people that if we didn't have these things down here, they wouldn't eat a lot of things they should. Everything is rewarding in its own way.
What motivates you to donate so much time to the senior center?
It's just the feeling of doing something for somebody else. It always gets back to people. Like at church, you're giving back to your community because you've rewarded well yourself. I feel a whole lot better when I'm down here doing things.
What do you like to do when you're not volunteering?
My husband and I like to go for walks, we like to travel and see different parts of the country. We really like to go to Las Vegas because there's so much to see. And going down the Colorado River around Lake Mead is a lot of fun, too.
Is there anything in your life you've wanted to try, but haven't yet?
I think we've done pretty much what we've wanted to. We're kind of what you'd call "free spirits." Our daughter is in her late 40s, and her family's grown, too. We do what we like to do.
Suzannah Reinholdt, program manager for Woodland Senior Center, says of Clark:
Without Lou Clark here, the senior center would be a different place. Lou is a kind person, she's extremely hard working and dedicated to providing programs for seniors. She has a personal interest in it, and without that kind of dedication, not one of those programs, one time, would continue. And she keeps an open mind about things and sees the importance of being able to change your thinking.
A lot of the stuff she does isn't glamorous, and it's not always fun. She's a great example for others, because others seek her leadership. That's very important.
To nominate a volunteer of the month e-mail dave@senior-spectrum.com.
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