RETIREES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer

They have earned the right to sit in a rocking chair and while away the hours of their golden years, but many Santa Clarita seniors choose instead to spend their time helping others through volunteer activities.

Although they might no longer have children in school, or go to work every day at a local business, volunteering can help seniors feel that they are still a vital part of their community, said Jill Harper, volunteer coordinator at the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center.

I think seniors realize that they have an awful lot to give back to the community, Harper said. Plus volunteering gives them a purpose even if it's once a week. It gives them someplace to be on a specific day and makes them feel useful.

Seniors volunteer their time for a variety of reasons, including the need for something to do after the loss of a beloved spouse.

After my husband died, one of the first things I did was to fill out an application to volunteer, said Friendly Valley resident Margaret Hebert, 66. Having volunteered at hospitals in two other cities, Hebert chose Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital as a place to lend a hand.

She volunteers five hours one day a week in the hospital's emergency room, calming the patients awaiting treatment, cleaning gurneys and running errands for the doctors and nurses. When a situation is critical, she stands aside and says a quick prayer.

We are very grateful for volunteers like Margaret, said Maria Strmsek, volunteer coordinator for the hospital. She really gets out there and works hard, and if she sees something that needs to be done, she just does it.

Senior volunteers at the hospital offer incredible wisdom because of their life experiences, and have incredible compassion for the needs of the patients, Strmsek added.

I think the biggest thing is to just be friendly and nice to everyone, and try to make a bad experience easier, Hebert said. It makes me feel good to be able to help out and, besides, who would want to sit and watch TV all day?

Some seniors miss their jobs and co-workers after retirement and want to get back into their careers, and volunteering is one way to do that. Francis Buckheim, 82, has been volunteering at the Valencia Public Library for 12 years, doing for free what she used to get paid to do as a library aide.

I missed working and I missed the people, said Buckheim, who returned to the library as a volunteer after retiring at age 70. The staff here is so wonderful. We're just like a family.