Who Needs the Fountain of Youth When You Can Volunteer in Chatsworth

By Marty Fisher

So now what???  I had just turned 70 and was thinking about the years I've spent on this earth.  Selling insurance kept me busy through the years, and I needed to stay busy.  So, I decided to continue selling insurance a few hours each week, but what was I going to do with all the extra time I had?

I could get another tattoo or another earring.  I could purchase another classic car to add to my collection.  I have always believed I was pretty cool, but young people do not think that way about seniors.  One of my daughters asked me if I would be interested in volunteering at the school where two of my five grandchildren attended.  I wasn't too sure about that, because when I was a student myself, I was NOT very fond of school.  But, I decided I would give it a try.  I spent a few hours a week in each of the two classrooms, and I have never looked back.

Next year will be my seventh year at Our Community School, and my hours total more than 80 each month!  My senior friends ask me what I do all day at school, and it's hard to know where to start.  A teacher's job is to teach, and I try to do all the things that would take them away from teaching -- grading homework, entering results into the computer, photograph activities to document learning, read with students, help students complete projects.  Most of all, I think of ways to connect with students by relating my life experiences.  It seems to me that kids appreciate talking with adults, who are not members of their family, about any subject.  I do my best to be there for students in that capacity.

I have followed the same students through the grades since they were in first grade.  I have also learned and grown with them.  In September, they will be starting their last year at Our Community School before going to high school.  I truly believe I have made a difference is some of their lives, just as they have made a difference in mine.  The pay is the best that anyone can receive -- unconditional love from a kid is more valuable than any money you could get from a job.

To my retired friends, I would ask, "What mark will you leave on this earth when you pass?  Think about volunteering your time.  It will keep you young 4EVR!"