Brookline Senior Center's "Extraordinary" Volunteer Event

On April 19th, the Brookline Senior Center celebrated the center’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Event with a theme that Volunteers Make the Ordinary Extraordinary.

Wendee Glick on vocals and Steve Heck on piano opened the event with lively entertainment. The duo’s final song, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” was dedicated to the center’s volunteers, with Wendee remarking that the volunteers are truly the “wind beneath the wings of the Senior Center.”

Following several welcomes by COA Chair Yolanda Rodriguez, Senior Center Director Ruthann Dobek, and Volunteer Coordinator Valerie Graf, nominees for Volunteer of the Year Award were recognized. These nominees, reflecting the wide spectrum of Senior Center services and contributions, included Dale Butler, Judy Chasin, Marcia Goldstein, Ann Harshman, Pam Hitchmoth, Mary Kuchinsky, Lyudmila Lugovyer, Dr. Guotong Man, Dick Morse, John Seay, and Lucia Soare.

Ruthann then announced the two recipients of the 2023 John & Molly Dolan Volunteer of the Year Award: Lyudmila Lugovyer and Dick Morse. Both Lyudmila and Dick have taught weekly English language conversation (ESL) classes at the Senior Center for over 20 years. Ruthann thanked the pair for their dedication and the thousands of volunteer hours they have given to folks since the Senior Center opened in 2001. Dick and Lyudmila each shared their individual experiences as longtime volunteers, noting that they “receive far more than they give.”

For the 2023 Community Service Award, Ruthann gave special recognition to the Senior Center Etsy shop, Brookline Bazaar, thanking all those in the Senior Center community who have donated to and purchased from the shop. Brookline Bazaar sales help subsidize programming and entertainment at the Senior Center. Since its inception in September 2021, the shop has sold over 176 items with a revenue total of over $8,500 and counting.

Select Board representative to the Council on Aging John VanScoyoc also shared words of appreciation, and recognized the large in-person attendance at the event, relating that the “best cure” for some of the loneliness or isolation that many older adults experience is “to reach out and connect, and to show up.” John led the room in a round of congratulatory applause, recognizing the dedication and volunteerism of all those in attendance.

To learn more about the Senior Center, its volunteer opportunities or its wonderful Etsy Brookline Bazaar, please visit Brooklineseniorcenter.org.