Outstanding seniors put others before themselves

Teaching children to driving elders to their destinations to cooking and serving breakfast and dinners at the Elks-two senior citizens were recognized for putting others first.

Two Crow Wing County residents were presented the 2017 Outstanding Senior Citizen Awards Wednesday at a picnic event in Lum Park in Brainerd, presented by The Center in Brainerd.

DeAnn Barry, executive director of The Center, presented the awards to Karel House of Baxter and James Koski of Brainerd in front of the crowd of senior citizens enjoying the day outside, having lunch, socializing and listening to The Center's house band play music.

The seniors will be honored at the Crow Wing County Fair, the Minnesota State Fair and the Distinguished Service Awards Banquet. The senior volunteers will compete with other senior volunteers for the Minnesota 2017 Outstanding Senior Citizen Award.

House and Koski both had no idea they were being honored and had thoughts of not even attending the picnic. House had family in town visiting and Koski said, "I thought I should just come up and help with food."

"When my name came up it was very much a surprise," Koski said. "I'm honored, I don't even know what to say."

House said she didn't have the heart to skip the picnic.

"It's so fun and I love being with Deb (Anderson, volunteer supervisor at Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd), my coworkers and everyone," she said. "I was totally shocked and honored. There are so many people who do so much more than I do."

The requirements for the nominees are they have to be a resident of Minnesota, age 70 by June 1 and currently doing unpaid volunteer work demonstrating commitment to the local community. Judges evaluated how the seniors have touched the lives of other people in the community by considering their diversity and quality of accomplishments, years of service and time commitments, variety and geographic area of services performed, involvement in organizations, amount of service after age 65 and involvement in innovative services.

Anderson nominated House for the award. House' volunteer activities include working at the gift shop at the hospital; greeting people and logging them in when they donate blood for the American Red Cross; serving Sunday breakfast and Tuesday night dinners at the Elks Lodge No. 615 in Brainerd and cooking dinners when needed.

"Her bubbly, energetic, cheerful and friendly personality are always a delight," Shannon Dehen of the Elks stated about House.

House said she loves the Elks. She said it was her late husband's place and since he has passed she still enjoys volunteering there to visit old friends.

House, 76, started volunteering since her children were little. House volunteered for many years at Good Samaritan Society-Bethany in Brainerd when it had no beauty shop. She said for 15 years, she helped dialysis patients in their road to recovery. She has helped them make appointments when they need to have their chemotherapy done.

"When I started volunteering for this I had 15 volunteers who would help patients," House said. "And when I stopped there were 350 volunteers."

Koski, 71, was nominated by Paul Welch of Breath of Life Adult Day Care Service, where he spends four hours a week driving people to destinations, such as medical appointments or grocery shopping.

"This is a real meaningful job," Koski said. "You get to know these people and you talk to them and it's a big thing."

Koski also volunteers at the Brainerd Curling Club, where he does maintenance; teaches students at Garfield and Baxter elementary schools with mathematics and music; and coordinates the pickleball at The Center.

"Jim is patient, understanding, kind and has the heart of a caregiver," Welch stated in his nomination letter. "I think he is putting in more volunteer hours now than when he was working as a pharmacist."

Koski said he has volunteered all his life.

"It all starts with volunteering at one place and then people get your name and then all of a sudden you are volunteering at two places and then three places," Koski said. "I've had a good ride."

Koski said he was a volunteer coach for youth hockey for many years. He said when he turned 64, he began helping teach mathematics to fourth- through sixth-graders at Garfield and helped kindergartners with their music at Baxter.

"My grandkids don't live around here so I get to hang out with these kids," Koski said.

Koski said when Welch asked him about being a driver at Breath of Life he didn't hesitate to help. He said his aunt and uncle had dementia and at that time they didn't have anyone to help him. Now he can help others who need it.

"Jim makes each and every one of his participants feel special and they look forward to seeing him," Welch stated.