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Beverly Wilson and Jean Welch
 Beverly Wilson and Jean Welch have only been volunteering together for just over a year, but they’ve been friends much, much longer.
“We met back in 1961 when Jean got married, and we’ve been friends ever since,” Beverly remembers.
Even though they stayed in touch over the years, their friendship took on a whole new dimension when they decided to become volunteer buddies.
“I was just moving to the area, and I had heard through my son and daughter-in-law what a great place the Center was,” Beverly recalls. “I knew that when I moved here and retired, this was one of the things that I wanted to do.”
Jean also had similar ambitions. “I had worked at a similar Center in Greeneville, Tennessee, but hadn’t quite gotten around to doing it here,” Jean explains. “But when Beverly told me that she was moving here, we decided that when she got here, we would volunteer together.”
Now one year later, the ladies are veteran volunteers, making themselves useful every Wednesday by sorting toys, covering barrels, creating bookmarks, piecing together posters, helping with mailings, and doing many other activities.
Asked to choose one word to describe her volunteer experience, Jean can’t help but choose two. “It’s fulfilling and interesting,” she explains.
Beverly feels that not even two can describe it adequately.
“It’s rewarding,” she says. “I feel good about it when we leave, like we’ve done a good day’s work. You’re helping so many people—not just the Center, but all the people that the Center touches as well.”
And week by week, Beverly and Jean’s volunteer buddy partnership continues to touch lives through this blessed ripple effect, one volunteer activity at a time.
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