“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without volunteers”
By Loreen Berlin
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month and as part of that celebration, the Buena Park Senior Center honored its myriad of volunteers for their outstanding and continued services.
Buena Park Senior Center Director Mark Sauceda said, “There’s no place that has better volunteers than the Buena Park Senior Activity Center. Our Center is what it is thanks to our many wonderful volunteers and friends.”
The theme this year was “Medieval Times” and the local Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament Knights in Shining Armor made an appearance at the center for pictures with the honorees and provided Medieval Times crowns in red, blue, green and gold to wear throughout the luncheon.
Those being honored were volunteers from the garden club, food distribution, the computer lab, fitness center, the kitchen, daycare, ceramics, meals on wheels and home-delivered meals and taxes by American Association of Retired Persons, and what would the Center be without the front desk volunteers to answer questions and field incoming calls?
The National Organization of Volunteerism said that many small towns and rural counties as well as large cities could not function without volunteers. Some rural fire and ambulance departments are staffed because of the generosity of volunteers, noting that some repairs and upgrade are a result of donations of skilled workers and local organizations such as The Lions Clubs, Rotary, Kiwanians, and Soroptimists along with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts organizations and The American Red Cross, to name a few.
Volunteers also find volunteering rewarding; people work for a salary but what is really rewarding is giving of one’s time and talent because the individual decides how they will spend their free time in giving back to the community. In some cases, companies have release time for volunteerism and schools now require volunteer hours for students in order to graduate.
Representatives from Senator Josh Newman and Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva’s offices were on hand as well as Buena Park Mayor Virginia Vaughn to present Certificates of Appreciation and Recognition during the recent Buena Park Senior Center Volunteers Luncheon. Pictured from left are Buena Park Senior Center Director Mark Sauceda, Senator Josh Newman’s Field Representative Monica Killen, Mayor Vaughn, Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva’s Field Representative Joe Pak and Community Services Coordinator Angelia Arias.
April became National Volunteer Month as part of President George H.W. Bush’s 1,000 Points of Light campaign in 1991.
“You are truly our royalty,” said Sauceda. “Volunteers make the Center a better place; it is a place with a lot of love for each other where volunteers can mingle and share experiences.”
For Buena Park Senior Center information, visit BuenaPark.com/Seniors or call714-236-3870; the Senior Center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. For evening events, call the Center to verify hours.
