National Volunteer Week takes place from April 14-20, 2024
GLENDON - For several decades, Ed and Thelma Watrich of Glendon have been dedicated to serving their community by volunteering their time and talents.
The Watrichs are retired schoolteachers who taught for 32 years. Presently, both are actively involved with the Glendon Catering Club and the Glendon Seniors Club, while Ed has been a member of the local fire department for over 30 years, and once served as secretary treasurer of the Glendon Agricultural Society. Both Ed and Thelma are also former directors of the Ag Society.
The couple volunteers in order to make their small community a better place. Thelma says that both her parents and her husband’s parents were volunteers in the community, and this was something they learned to do.
“It’s home, so I want it to be the best it can be,” Thelma told Lakeland This Week.
Ed and Thelma have deep roots in the Glendon area, both born and raised there. During their tenure as schoolteachers, the couple not only educated young minds but volunteered to coach sports and help with other functions around the school.
For Thelma, receiving appreciation and thanks from those who she has met over the years is what makes her happiest about volunteering.
“You meet people years down the road, and they say [they] remember when you did this, or... [say] ‘We’re happy that you did this’.”
Over the years, Ed says he has had some very interesting experiences fulfilling his volunteer pursuits. These include responding to fires and other incidents as a firefighter, but he has also had interesting experiences working with the Glendon Agricultural Society and the local catering club.
Volunteering, he believes, sets an example for other residents, especially when getting younger members of the community involved in picking up the reins and taking the initiative to help out.
Ed says that if people don’t “step up to the plate” and volunteer, some things won’t get done in a community.
“Volunteering is important for your community,” he says. “If you don’t have volunteers, I think that communities probably won’t thrive as much.”
