Seniors offer a helping hand
Local volunteers honored for their service to the community

Rachel Sanchez laughs as Flora Dietzman speaks after receiving an award for being the oldest volunteer with the McKinley County Retired Senior Volunteer Program on Saturday evening. The organization held it's annual banquet to honor the more than 100 volunteers that donate time in McKinley County. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

By Karen Francis
Staff writer

Gallup High School Choir members Christina Guerrero and Brittany Eustace sing during the annual McKinley County Retired Senior Volunteer Program banquet on Saturday. In addition to entertainment from the choir, a band performed as well. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

GALLUP — For anyone who has ever wondered why people take time out of their own lives to help other people, the volunteers with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program would say that it is just as gratifying for them as it is for the people they are helping.

“I think it’s more of a blessing to me than it is to them,” Glenda Davis said.

“I have fun doing it. I like being patted on my head that I’m doing a good job,” Madeline Jennings said.

“I like to help people. I’ve always like to help people,” Flora Dietzman said.

The McKinley County RSVP, with 225 volunteers and 50 worksites, is the largest volunteer program in Gallup. The RSVP volunteers got together Saturday night at the El Rancho for their annual celebration dinner and dance.

Receiving the “Hero” award in memory of Robert F. Miller, a Gallup Bataan Death March survivor, was Charles Johnson, who didn’t know he was to going to be honored for his work.

Johnson said he was “very surprised, very gracious, very unexpected” to win the award.

In his capacity, Johnson does “some of everything.”

Director of RSVP Rachel Sanchez said that when it came time for the advisory council to recommend a recipient for the “Hero” award, the response was almost unanimous to give the award to Johnson.

“It seems like everybody knows him. He’s very well known in the community and he’s very well loved,” Sanchez said.

Other winners included the Gallup Crisis Pregnancy Center for Outstanding Work Station, Mildred Holmes and John Sakasitz for Most Outstanding Hours and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for Newly Featured RSVP Worksite of the Year.
Dietzman, 94, won the Youngest Volunteer of the Year award, along with Octavia Fellin, 89.

Dietzman, a former nurse, said she helps out at the Episcopal church and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

“I help out wherever I can,” she said.

Jennings , who was supervisory dietitian at the Gallup Indian Medical Center for 30 years, is also very active in the NARFE, serving as Northwest District vice president.

She volunteers her expertise to organizations such as the Ford Canyon Senior Center, the Gallup Historical Society and a historical society in Colorado.

At the senior center, she teaches senior citizens to use computers, including e-mail and word processing.

“They find it helpful,” Jennings said adding that there are a lot of questions asked.

Ethel Hill, who worked at the Gallup Independent for 20 years, does volunteer work for the Catholic Church Thrift Shop five mornings a week, the Rehoboth church when the secretary has to take time off, the Kiwanis Club, Plato Scientists Society and the Red Cross.

Martin Link, who also teaches at the University of New Mexico-Gallup branch, volunteers with the Kiwanis Club, the Ford Canyon Senior Center and the Zuni museum. He has been volunteering almost all his life but began doing more after he retired from the newspaper business.

Jennings, Hill and Link were enjoying the appreciation ceremony and spoke to the Independent about the work that they do.

“I have worked harder now retired than I ever did. I am more occupied than I’ve ever been when I worked,” Jennings said.

“I’ll second that,” Hill said.

“And I’ll third that,” Link added. “And it’s more gratifying.”

Hill said that it gives her the opportunity to do what she wants to do, while Link said he volunteers because it makes Gallup a better place to live.

For Hill, her favorite place to work at right now is with the Catholic charities.

“I’m really proud to be there meeting the different people,” she said.

Davis, who has been retired for five years, does her volunteer work through the First Baptist Church visiting shut-ins every week.

“People need visiting that are shut in and can’t get out,” she said. “They seem to be happy when somebody comes. I guess you don’t see anybody all the time, they get lonesome.”

Mona Frazier, the chair of the local NAACP chapter, said that the organization could always use more volunteers. Right now, the organization is working on getting out information about the candidates running for president and beginning a youth program.

The NAACP is looking to forward to Juneteenth, a celebration observing June 19 as the day that news of the emancipation proclamation reached the slaves during the Civil War, and would welcome volunteers to help plan the event.

“We’d love to get more involvement,” Frazier said.

Information on NAACP:  (505) 409-9851.
Information on RSVP: 722-3565 or 722-3568.