91-year-old volunteer recognized for community service
SHERMAN, Texas (KTEN) — The Sherman Municipal Ballroom was filled with seniors being recognized Thursday for donating their skills to AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism.
And there was one volunteer in the crowd — JD Moore — who really stood out this year.
"He just celebrated his 91st birthday, and he is still volunteering." said AmeriCorps Seniors program director Bonnie Arrington.
Moore, named Volunteer of the Year, has been giving his time to AmeriCorps for 30 years now. He has had a special connection to Meals on Wheels since the 1980s.
"My mother lived with us a few years back in the 80s, and she passed away, and they brought lunch all that time," Moore said. "And I just retired in '93, so I just went to work just doing the same thing."
And although he isn't allowed to drive, Moore found a friend to help him and he continues to serve.
The award he received was something new this year. The senior program director, Virginia Rhodes, recently passed away. In her honor, Moore was presented with a new Virginia Rhodes Heart of Service Award, and Rhodes' family was there to present it.
"It's refreshing, because it just lets us know that she's never going to be forgotten," said Dale Rhodes, Virginia's oldest son. "How many people she's touched, what she's done while she was here, and is going to be remembered, and has been remembered by all these people."
"Virginia worked with this program for years; everyone in this room knows Virginia," Arrington said. "I just returned from our state conference for AmeriCorps Seniors, and they all were asking about Virginia."
AmeriCorps Seniors have volunteered more than 74 million hours of service. Arrington said it takes a special heart to volunteer, and Texomans have that.