Seniors make a difference in Houston by volunteering

Take a look around - and you don't have to look far, senior volunteers are everywhere...in schools, synagogues, churches, reading and recording books for the blind, and they also volunteer at their temples and mosques, in the theatre, at concerts, the opera, hospitals, special events, nursing homes and anywhere people power is needed.

According to a recent North America survey conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care network, seven in 10 U.S. senior volunteers and three out of five Canadian senior volunteers said they plan on volunteering "forever."

Seniors living in Houston's senior communities often organize for volunteer projects located in the city while other residents, individually and as groups, offer their time at their favorite charities.

John Bushkeul, 80, recently garnered the honor of "Unsung Hero," voted by fellow residents, at the annual volunteer appreciation dinner at Eagle's Trace, a southwest Houston senior community.

The Treasure Chest is open for customers who include workers and community residents, nearby neighbors and people who are just beginning their households.

[...] after I retired in 2011, I became an Apple Core Volunteer as a Core Specialist in 2012, working in communications and other areas where I could use skills I learned while I was working in human resources.

After I retired, I still wanted to have some degree of structure to my life - and regular volunteer assignments provides that...plus the camaraderie of the people I volunteer with.

From transporting puppies and kittens to weekend adoption events to sorting donations, leading gardening workshops, serving as a bilingual volunteer, and more.

Why would you want to volunteer?

Because somebody - maybe many somebodies need you.

Because you get back twice as much as you give...you can make a difference in someone's life, there is purpose in volunteering and oh, the places you'll go and the people you'll meet.

If you or you