Lending a Hand, Making a Difference with Dow VolunteerMatch
Passionate Dow retirees are changing lives every day through volunteerism – and you can, too! Dow is partnering with VolunteerMatch to enable employees and retirees to search for volunteer opportunities based on location, interest and availability, providing you with an effective way to engage in your community.
How Dow VolunteerMatch works:
- Organizations Post Volunteer Activities – This includes hundreds of non-profit organizations.
- You Search Volunteer Opportunities – You can search for opportunities based on your skills and interests.
- You Volunteer! – Once you find an opportunity that suits your time, talent and interest, you can learn more and sign up.
Volunteering not only benefits the community; it also allows you to learn new skills, meet new people and make meaningful connections with your community. Visit http://dow.volunteermatch.org to find your opportunity today!
Read these stories about Dow retirees who are making a difference in their communities:
[excerpts of “Getting Better with Age: The Retiree Difference.” Impact Nov 2010: 5-7.]
A Lifelong Habit of ServiceIn the world of volunteering, Mary Carpenter has done it all – from soup to nuts. When she retired after 25 years as an office professional, Mary went home, painted the house, then looked at her daughter and said: “Now what am I going to do?” Her daughter’s reply says a lot about her mother: “I’m sure you’ll come up with something!”
Mary has been coming up with ways to serve the community since she was a teenager living through the Great Depression. “We were givers, not takers,” she says about her family. “My parents shared food and we all lent a hand where it was needed. That’s the way I grew up – it doesn’t leave you.”
Beginning her post-retirement volunteer service at the former Voluntary Action Center, Mary did everything from secretarial work to computer training, making props at the Center for the Arts [and] visiting nursing homes and schools. By the time she finished two months at the VAC, they wanted to hire her. But Mary said no – one of the joys of volunteering for this spry 89-year-old is the opportunity to try new things. “Whatever the need, I’m there,” she says.
Bresnan Communication honored Mary by naming her one of its 60 “Super Seniors of the Tri-Cities” in 1998.
Today, you’ll find Mary at United Way of Midland County, averaging at least four hours a day in the office. And, she adds, “you never know what I’ll do next – I never know myself actually!”
Making Midland Bike Friendly
Kerry Irons rode his bicycle to work for 30 years – all year ’round. So when he retired in 2004 from a career in Process Research and Development at Dow, the nationwide non-profit Adventure Cycling Association was an easy choice for his volunteer commitment.
“I’ve been on one bicycle or another since I was five,” Kerry says. “But my first serious bike was a 1964 Schwinn Sierra 15-speed in 1964.”
“When I retired, I was looking for worthwhile volunteer activities,” he adds. “Although Adventure Cycling offers many activities, that’s not why I joined. For me it’s more about contributing than participating.”
It wasn’t long before Kerry was asked to serve on the City of Midland’s Non-Motorized Transportation Committee to help design and implement a plan to develop more non-motorized transportation routes (bike/walking paths and connectors between existing pathways) throughout the City.
“We’re really starting to see the fruits of our work,” Kerry says. “In April, Midland received national recognition as a bike-friendly community – one of just 35 newly reorganized communities from around the U.S. to receive this special designation.”
In addition to designing plans for Midland, Kerry has been involved as a researcher for the development of the U.S. Bicycle Route Corridor Plan, and is working with various state-level organizations in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin to define and designate bicycle routes. Adventure Cycling honored him with its inaugural Volunteer of the Year Award in 2005.
Kerry gives back in other ways as well. He is a 10-Gallon Blood Donor, giving blood four times a year since 1984, and he’s volunteered time for United Way. And, no surprise, he and his wife, Mary, lead an active life, enjoying downhill and cross country skiing, hiking and walking.
Always a Contributor
When Gene Woodward’s wife, Lois, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1972, he became a volunteer for the Michigan Chapter of the National MS Society.
“I had a reason – not only did my wife have MS, but my children and grandchildren could one day be affected,” he explains. “I wanted to help get a handle on this devastating disease.”
After Gene retired from his position as a business analyst for Dow’s Inorganic Chemicals group in 1986, he dedicated the bulk of his time to caring for his wife and fighting MS through volunteer work at a variety of positions and levels of the Society.
Although Gene’s wife lost her battle with MS in 1998, he has remained close to the Society, participating as a selfhelp group leader until this year. At 84, his involvement has taken a different tack – handling administrative duties at local and state Society levels.
He also finds time for United Way – an interest he developed while working on Dow campaigns as an employee. Working in Minnesota for Dow, Gene helped set up payroll deduction for United Way, a simple step that increased giving tremendously, he says.
Upon retirement, Gene segued into annual fundraising among Dow retirees and today works for United Way of Midland County, helping to implement the Midland campaign. He enjoys the youthful energy of the Midland group.
Gene got his start in volunteer work doing fundraising for the YMCA while attending high school in his hometown of Melrose, Massachusetts.
“I’ve always been a contributor. I guess you could say I got ‘broken in early,’” he recalls. “My mother was involved in door-to-door fundraising for the March of Dimes back when people literally gave dimes!”
When Gene first came to Midland for Dow, his boss asked him to assist with a Boy Scout project. That project led to an interest and involvement in scouting that was sustained over many years – before Gene’s three sons were old enough for scouting and for many years afterward.
“The rewards of volunteering are many,” Gene adds, “And they extend far beyond the good feeling you get from helping others. As a volunteer, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
[Excerpts from “Science with a Smile.” Northwest Missouri State University Alumni magazine Fall 09: 10-13. Reprinted with permission.]
Science with a Smile
Cal Goeders is a man who developed a multi-million dollar business by creating infection control products, and ironically it’s his smile that is infectious. For instance, with the warm smile of a grandfather, Goeders, who graduated from Northwest [Missouri State University] in 1953, has found a way to successfully bridge the generational gap while getting youngsters excited about science.
As a volunteer at Longview Elementary School, the “reviews” from a few of his students, presented as wonderfully illustrated thank-you booklets at the end of the school year, tell the story:
Thank you, Mr. Goeders, for a great year. You rock!
You’re the best science teacher ever.
I will always remember you.
I love science so much!
But at 78 years of age, Goeders is more than a volunteer. He is a man who 12 years ago had the vision and determination to establish a program where retired scientists and engineers volunteer their time and expertise to a local Title One elementary school in hopes of not only raising test scores but also encouraging students to develop an interest in science.
“Because of my Northwest education and business experience, this was a situation tailor-made for me,” Goeders said. “I’ll admit, I had a lot of failure that first year when I was trying to get this program started, but, if you’re adaptive, failure teaches you. I’m proud to say that our 10-year achievements are very impressive, and people like me live and die by the data.”
Impressive indeed. In 2002, based on standardized tests, only 13 percent of Longview Elementary’s fifth graders were at an “advanced” proficiency level in science, and another 13 percent were at the other end of the chart, considered “not proficient.” By 2008, the number of “advanced” science students had soared to 57 percent, and another 39 percent were considered “proficient.” Not a single student fell in the “not proficient” category.
“We need these young students to have a little bit of glimmer of what science is all about,” Goeders said. “I hear them say they love science or they want to be a scientist. Even if their concept is a little flawed, it’s a real transformation – and it’s exciting to witness.”
The students aren’t the only ones who enjoy the offerings of the “science guys,” as they’re affectionately called. Second-grade teacher Lisa Dickey knew Goeders was something special as soon as he entered her classroom.
“This was my 30th year teaching, and when a good thing like Cal walked in the door and asked if he could help with science, I immediately said ‘yes’ and then ‘who are you, and what is the plan!’” Dickey said. “Experience told me this was going to be a good thing, and what he brings to the classroom is just perfect.”
Performing elaborate experiments to “wow” the students is not on the agenda. The curriculum is too tight, Dickey said. Instead, the volunteers supplement the instruction provided by the teachers throughout the year. Schemes are developed to improve the delivery of, and extensions to, the hands-on science activities customized to units being studied at each grade level. ...
“Cal and the science volunteers are wonderful mentors and role models,” [Principal Pam] Kastl said. “The kids have no idea how affluent these men and women are, and many of them are able to tell the students that they, too, came from humble beginnings. They let kids know they can overcome any situation, and education is an excellent way to do that.”
(DowFriends editor’s note: Cal’s current project is Eastlawn Elementary school, where many young students are catching the science bug as Cal brings the world of science to life.)
Photo Credit: Darren Whitley/Northwest Missouri State University for the use of the photos.
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