 Home | Recent News | Kansas City | Vivian Berry Enjoys Volunteering at Presbyterian Manor | Printme 01 May 2007 Vivian Berry calls volunteering at Presbyterian Manor “a joy”Every Tuesday for the past six years, Vivian Berry has scooped ice cream and bagged fresh, hot popcorn for residents at Presbyterian Manor of Kansas City. She is one of many Kansans – especially seniors – who make volunteerism a regular part of their lives.
Berry, who calls her volunteer role at Presbyterian Manor “a joy,” will be honored April 16 as its Volunteer of the Year. She sums up her volunteer philosophy this way: “Whenever there’s something that needs to be done, I just do it.”
According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, Berry, who is 76, is part of a thriving group in Kansas, one of the top states in the nation for volunteerism among seniors. The agency reports that nearly 35 percent of Kansans age 65 and older volunteered from 2003-05, ranking Kansas seventh among all states in that category. Nationally, seniors volunteered at a rate of just more than 24 percent during the same time frame. Similarly, Kansas baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) volunteered at a three-year rate of 46 percent, a rate that was higher than volunteerism among Midwest boomers overall.
Berry and other volunteers at Presbyterian Manor contributed a total of more than 4,500 hours of service in 2006. The Independent Sector, which gives a financial value to volunteer service, estimates each volunteer hour is worth $18.04, meaning Manor volunteers contributed services worth more than $81,000 last year.
For Berry, it’s all about the people she serves. “I just think it is so clean and nice and everybody seems to be very friendly,” she said of the Manor’s residents and staff. “It’s just rewarding.”
Berry’s connection to the Manor comes through her church, Stony Point Christian, which is located approximately 1 ½ miles south of the Manor. When she saw a notice in the church newsletter looking for Manor volunteers six years ago, she responded.
“I think half of our church family has been in and out of the Manor over the years (as volunteers),” she said. “We have several residents there now from our church. Our pastor goes on Fridays and conducts services. Other members go and help with music.”
Berry and her husband, Don, have put volunteer service at the heart of their lives. These long-time Kansas Citians volunteered at St. Mary’s food kitchen for 18 years and there they discovered one of the bonus benefits to being a volunteer.
“When we used to be volunteers at St. Mary’s food kitchen, we got more fun out of it,” she said.
Suzi Lockett, the Manor’s volunteer services coordinator, said of Berry, “She’s always there when I need something. She’s always thinking about us up here. She’ll bring a whole tray of something and ask ‘can these go on the tables? Is that all right?’”
Friend and fellow Manor volunteer Geneva Herring said, “Vivian is always doing something for others and it gives a lot of joy to the people around her.”
Berry also knows that someday, roles may reverse and she might be the person being served a cool dish of ice cream or a warm bag of fresh popcorn.
“I could be there,” she said. “It just makes me know there are people out there that care. It’s just nice to give back.”
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