The Well-Lived, Purposeful Life of a Beaumont Library Volunteer!

“What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” —Greek philosopher Aristotle

He was off-duty, it was late at night, and help was surely on the way.

In 2003, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent Bruce Toloski could easily have kept going at the sight an overturned Jeep on the freeway. And unbeknownst to the special agent, he could have avoided excruciating injury … but maybe never known a larger purpose in life.

In a heroic move as darkness lingered just outside Los Angeles, Toloski freed a trapped motorist moments before a drunken driver crashed into the Jeep and sent metal flying in every direction. A piece of bumper struck Toloski in the head and left him comatose with severe brain injuries. His slow, painful recovery would take several years as Toloski struggled in learning to walk and talk again and cope with seizures. In the aftermath, the rescued driver survived; the drunken driver was sentenced to five years in state prison.

But as Toloski told The Daily Breeze in 2004, “I did the right thing on that day and I’d do it again. Helping people is something that I’ve always done.”

Extraordinary library volunteer

In 2008, Toloski and his family moved from Torrance to Yucaipa and despite being permanently disabled, he quickly embarked on a life of service to others, especially at the Beaumont Library. He’s been a dedicated Library volunteer for the last 11 years. In 2007, Toloski became a one-to-one adult literacy tutor and since 2010 has taught DMV Test Preparation classes that have helped hundreds of people read better and score higher on their driver’s tests.

Library Volunteer Bruce Toloski and Senior Librarian Lucy Sims share a moment inside the Beaumont Library. After 11 years as a library volunteer, Toloski is moving to Orange County. The retired special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dedicated his life to volunteering and helping others after becoming permanently disabled while rescuing a trapped motorist. Photo by Library Director Luren Dickinson

At 51 years old, Toloski remains the go-to volunteer when something really needs to get done. And no task is too small. Whether it means setting up tables for a special event, stuffing envelopes, stapling paperwork or teaching classes. At times, Toloski volunteers up to 10 hours a week at the Beaumont Library. He’s also helped out Calimesa’s Citizens Patrol, taught Sunday school, tended a 90-year-old neighbor’s orchard, and talked to school children about the importance of wildlife.

Heartfelt farewell

But it’s bittersweet as Toloski’s volunteering days come to an end at the Beaumont Library. His family is moving to Orange County in 2019.

For her part, Senior Librarian Lucy Sims has watched many volunteers come and go throughout a 30-year career. But this is different.

“He will be missed,” Sims says. “Conscientious, reliable, caring … any adjective you can think of, that’s Bruce. He just goes out of his way to help everyone that he meets.”

But even with Toloski’s absence, the popular DMV classes, which started in 2008, will continue to be taught in 2019. Sims also teaches DMV classes and will take over Toloski’s classes. In 2018, Beaumont Library set an all-time attendance record when more than 1,100 people signed up for DMV classes.

For Toloski, the dream of helping others will live on when he moves to Orange County and begins looking for new opportunities to volunteer, possibly at the local library.

It’s an echo of Martin Luther King Jr.’s remarks about serving others: “You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”