Serving Others Keeps Me Young
How one retired volunteer continues to give back
June 16, 2021
Steve Jakobi first supported our work in 2005 when he joined our Hurricane Katrina Response program in Biloxi—making him one of the longest serving members of the All Hands and Hearts community. Since his first volunteering experience, Steve has returned to volunteer twice in Long Island (as part of our New York Superstorm Sandy Response program) and joined our Louisiana Flood Relief program, Texas Hurricane Harvey Relief program, North Carolina Hurricane Florence Relief program and Puerto Rico Relief program working alongside communities in Baton Rouge, LA; Houston, TX; New Bern, NC and Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
In response to the global pandemic, we made the decision to restrict applications for our newly adapted DM12 programs to volunteers aged between 18 and 65, following CDC guidance. At 69, these restrictions put a halt on Steve’s ability to volunteer with us on the ground. Keen to find alternative ways to be of service, he signed up to our six-month Mentorship Program and has channeled his 30+ years of teaching experience to help mentor a fellow All Hands and Hearts alumnus.
Below he shares the benefits he’s gained from volunteering with us as someone older than the average volunteer and what it is about the experience we offer that keeps him involved.
I began volunteering in the early 1990s in Carlisle, Massachusetts. I was between jobs and decided to use the free time to become a Meals on Wheels delivery driver. I also drove senior citizens to medical appointments and offered companionship for local older adults and people with disabilities experiencing isolation. That free time quickly evaporated when I moved to New York for a new job. I was juggling settling into a new home and workplace alongside raising young children, working full time and tending the small farm I had bought. This unfortunately meant giving up volunteering for a while.
I started thinking about volunteering again after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. I felt that the world had changed around us and it was time to try to do something—anything—positive and meaningful. I took up a part-time volunteer opportunity at a community kitchen, cooking and serving food for anyone who needed a meal.
When the president of the college I worked for announced she was leading a group of students and faculty members to join a volunteer program to support the recovery effort in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, I was keen to get involved. And so in the Fall of 2005, I had my first experience with All Hands and Hearts, who were operating as Hands On USA back then. Since that first assignment, I have returned to volunteer as often as my circumstances permitted.
“Why do I go back time and time again? The reasons are manifold, but, the oder I get, the more I realize that the meaning of life is to be respectiful, and to help other people, all living organisms and the environment”
Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts fulfills all of those goals and it is one of the most well-structured volunteer organizations I have had the privilege to be involved with. More than that, the staff and volunteer team on each program is made up of hundreds of enthusiastic and hardworking people of all age groups, and working with these international volunteers gives me great hope for the future of the planet. Even though many fellow volunteers and staff members I work alongside could easily be my grandchildren, I always learn something from each of them and my soul is nourished through our connection.
COVID-19, however, changed everything. All Hands and Hearts made the decision to restrict applications from senior volunteers and were seeking a three month volunteer commitment as part of the DM12 initiative. Even if I was under 65 at the time, I think my wife might have divorced me if I was gone for three months so I looked for another opportunity to work with them. When I heard about the All Hands and Hearts Mentorship Program, I jumped at the chance to be a mentor and applied right away.
I’m now four months into the six-month program, and I have been partnered with a wonderful and talented young person who has also spent time volunteering with All Hands and Hearts in Puerto Rico. I’m hoping to provide some useful assistance as she is ready to launch her career. I already feel like I have learned as much from her as I have been able to contribute as her mentor, and am looking forward to meeting her someday in person.
“…serving others keeps me young, it keeps me motivated, and I wholeheartedly recommend becoming a retired volunteer to anyone.”
When the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and I can return to my eighth All Hands and Hearts program—wherever that may be—I may not be able to lift 70+ lbs bags of debris as we muck and gut water-damaged homes, or chainsaw hazardous trees, but there are still many things that I feel I can do to contribute. Here at home I’m still volunteering with Meals on Wheels as well as serving as a volunteer ambulance driver and working with novice gardeners.
Whether it’s supporting my local community or heading back out to join All Hands and Hearts wherever they are needed, serving others keeps me young, it keeps me motivated, and I wholeheartedly recommend becoming a retired volunteer to anyone. For me, retirement does not represent sitting back and relaxing, but a way to explore new ideas and novel paths. In the process, I also learn new things and share what I have learned (often the hard way and by the seat-of-my-pants!) with others. In this world, what else is there to make a person happy and fulfilled?
We’re now accepting applications from volunteers aged 65 or over, providing they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you’d like to dedicate some of your free time to helping us support communities impacted by natural disasters, apply to join us today! Please share Steve’s experience with any older adults who may be interested in working alongside, and learning from, a team of global volunteers of all ages.
