Cheers for Volunteers

Chelsea Lefcourt, daughter of Susan Schenck and granddaughter of John and Mary Frazier, is a third-generation native of Whitefish. She met and married her husband Dave while working in Los Angeles. Both wanting to live in Whitefish, they planned their move so daughter Simma could be born and raised as a fourth-generation Whitefish native.

Chelsea volunteers at the Whitefish Community Center (home of the Golden Agers), delivering Meals on Wheels. Simma, 3, does her part by sometimes riding along whereupon, to the great enjoyment of both Simma and the recipients, it becomes her job to knock on doors.

One of Simma's "funnest" games at home is playing Meals on Wheels. Her mom lets her out onto the porch and closes the door. Soon there is a knock at the door, and when her mom responds, there is a little person gleefully announcing "Meals on Wheels."

Chelsea cannot say enough about the beauties of her home town and the satisfaction and sheer pleasure she gets from volunteering. She thoroughly enjoys working with other volunteers at the center and has become close friends with the people on her route.

She eagerly looks forward to each trip so she can visit with them about families and other things of interest. In her words, "it's really good for me," and she urges other young people to learn the rewards of volunteering.

Her co-workers describe her abundance of energy, cheerfulness and enthusiasm. They call her the "can-do kid" and say if there's an emergency, such as a driver not showing up, her response is "not a problem — I can do it."

Chelsea and Simma, you make a great team. You do more than provide sustenance to our senior citizens — you bring happiness into their lives, and your community thanks you.

— Jake Heckathorn

This column is dedicated to those who give freely of their time and energy to worthwhile community projects, but whose efforts often go unnoticed. If you know such a person, please e-mail jheckathorn@centurytel.net.