Social connection is a key to aging well. Volunteering is one opportunity to connect with others who share similar interests while also giving back. In January, the Martin Luther King Day of Service is an excellent time to check out opportunities in your community to meet new people and volunteer.
The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging encourages everyone to find ways to stay connected to counter isolation and depression.
Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country. We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude – whether you’re in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer.
BEACON Senior News is a proud sponsor/partner for this podcast. BEACON Senior News empowers Colorado seniors with inspiring local stories, timely coverage of senior issues, health and travel features, retirement and financial guidance, senior expos and local resources — all presented in a fun, engaging way that helps older adults lead happier, healthier lives. Catch all the news at: beaconseniornews.com/
Transcript
MELISSA MARTS:
I’m looking forward to today’s episode on giving back to community, this idea of volunteering. But volunteering is so much more than just donating your time to a cause. It’s about a lot of other opportunities to build yourself and build a sense of community where you live. And for older adults, it’s really true that having solid social connections will help prepare people and help you live a very quality life as you age. And volunteering is one of the ways to do it.
At the area agency on aging, we’re excited about a lot of different possibilities to get involved in community. And of course, January is Martin Luther King Day. And with that comes the Day of Service. And the theme for Martin Luther King Day this year is Mission Possible II, about building community. And so we really want to encourage people to tune in today to listen about volunteering and building community.
VOICEOVER:
This is Peak Community, Studio 809 Podcast.
MARTS:
Welcome to Aging with Altitude, a podcast providing information, advice, and resources for seniors, families, and caregivers to help you live your best life, courtesy of the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging.
We’re coming to you from the Studio 809 Community Podcast Studio at The Next Us, a professional cooperative environment for small businesses in downtown Colorado Springs.
I’m your host, Melissa Marts, with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government’s Area Agency on Aging.
Well, happy new year. We’re back in the studio. I’m here with Rhonda Ray, the editor of Beacon Senior News. It’s January.
RHONDA RAY:
Crazy.
MARTS:
Yeah. Yeah. Welcome. And welcome back in the studio today.
Again, it is January, and we want to thank the Beacon Senior News for being a wonderful sponsor of Aging with Altitude. And so what kinds of things are we looking at this month in Beacon Senior News to kick off the new year?
RAY:
Well, we are looking at a really interesting Renaissance woman named Sally Huss, who won Wimbledon in her junior years and went on to have a series of art galleries across the country. She lives here in Colorado Springs, where she is now writing and illustrating books.
MARTS:
Oh, my goodness. So a true Renaissance woman.
RAY:
She really is.
MARTS:
Went from an athlete to being an illustrator and book writer, huh?
RAY:
Absolutely.
MARTS:
Oh, very good. I’m glad you found somebody like that.
RAY:
Yeah, we were too. And a little sneak peek, it’s a model train group, one here and one in Pueblo, and all the cool worlds they create with their setups. I took my granddaughter, we had a great time.
And then for winter, kind of a trio of winter content. Five ways to keep your pet enriched in cold weather. We’ve got your winter skincare guide, and not so exciting, but very helpful, is it flu or is it COVID?
MARTS:
Well, and I just had that experience this past weekend with my mother-in-law. But it was neither of those things, fortunately for her. But yeah, so we’ll be excited to read that article and see what we might have missed out on. Is it flu or is it COVID? Or is it something else? Okay, well, good for you guys.
And where can people find the Beacon Senior News?
RAY:
They can find it at Safeway, some banks, the Y’s, the libraries, thrift stores, some places you wouldn’t expect, some places you would expect. And tucked into the January issue is the Beacon Guide for 2026, which is like a directory of all the important phone numbers you would need in your senior years in a wide variety of areas. So be on the lookout for that.
MARTS:
Good, good. And you guys, people could be listening in to this recording from any place in the country. Most people are probably listening in from Colorado Springs, but you guys also do have the Beacon in Pueblo and Fremont counties, correct?
RAY:
Yes, we sure do.
MARTS:
So they can find it there.
RAY:
And Teller.
MARTS:
And Teller County too. So kind of a four-county region, actually. So great.
So make sure you keep an eye out, listeners, for the Beacon Senior News in El Paso, Pueblo, Teller, and Fremont counties all over the place. Super, good for you guys.
Anything else for January in this happy new year?
RAY:
That is quite a lot right there. But yeah, there are other goodies in there too. But that’s sort of the main…
marts:
Those are the good highlights. Yeah. Renaissance woman and trains.
RAY:
We’re all over that.
MARTS:
And of course, the guide. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we like it. Those are good things to tune into. So thank you.
All right. Well, take care, Rhonda. And until next time, we’ll be looking for the Beacon Senior News.
RAY:
Sounds good. Thanks, bye.
MARTS:
I’m in the studio today with one of my co-workers, Dali Moncada. She is our volunteer program manager.
Dali, it is January. And here we are. It’s all things volunteering in the month of January. Not everybody knows that, but we sure are tracking it. And I wanted an opportunity to have you share a really great volunteer story.
You’ve been doing this for a while now. And I know that this past summer, you had some really great activities that you did with young people, older people, all people working in older people’s gardens, and you had a pretty amazing thing happen. And I wondered if you would tell our listeners a little bit about that volunteering experience that happened this past summer. We’re going to start with that.
DALI MONCADA:
Yeah. So we have an outdoor chore program at our area agency on aging, and it runs all year round. So we’re doing lots of different seasonal work.
I had the pleasure for the fall season to work with a handful of students from Colorado College, as well as UCCS. We got to go and do some yard work for older folks that we’ve signed up for the program.
And we had a lovely gal who allowed us to come by and do some yard work for her. She was blind. And you can imagine that her yard definitely needed a little bit of TLC. So we went in there, clearing it up, cleaning it up.
And during our time there, she just really appreciated the visit. She was chatting it up with the students. She was asking them all about themselves. I would look over my shoulder, and she would be being escorted by a different student walking around and chatting.
And there was a student who was older, a non-traditional student. And he was explaining that he and his wife moved here, and at their current residence, they no longer had an outdoor space, but they love to garden. So here is this lovely older adult who has these really nice garden beds and a big footprint of property to do some gardening and stuff. But of course, because of her visibility issues, she couldn’t take care of that work.
So he really reached out and asked, hey, would it be okay if maybe me and my wife could come by and do some gardening in your space and visit with you? And so the two of them exchanged information with plans to do that connection. And that’s exactly what we really want for the program is to really build little pockets of community and really foster relationships between people who wouldn’t normally have that kind of crossover interaction.
So it was exactly what we hoped when we talked about putting this program together. So it was really special that that came about. And we hope to foster more of that.
MARTS:
Yeah, I’m so, when you told me what had happened, I was so happy for you guys, I was happy for that older woman and her newfound friends, and thought that is exactly a wonderful experience for people. Sometimes you have volunteer opportunities where volunteers meet other volunteers, and they become friends that way.
But then in this case, for the person who was the recipient of some of this, to actually make a new friend, how often does that woman get a chance to get out of her house and go make new friends. And so for them to be able to do that, I loved hearing about that. That was a good experience for everybody.
MONCADA:
Yeah. And with the volunteer program, we don’t want to just offer up a service, even though of course, that is super duper important. But if we could also foster community and connection and conversation and relationships, that is honestly what you would really hope that a program like this would be able to do.
MARTS:
Yeah. And we’re here in January, because Martin Luther King Day happens. And for most folks, they know that Martin Luther King Day has become a day of service opportunity around the country.
And so oftentimes people are signing up for activities to do on Martin Luther King Day to give back to their community. And it’s easy to think about that. I’m going to go and hand out food at a food pantry, or I’m going to go walk some dogs at the Humane Society.
I’m just going to give of my time. But when we can build these relationships too, it’s really great. And I know that the theme for this year’s Martin Luther King Day of Service is Mission Possible II, Building Community.
And so you already have a head start at that, right?
MONCADA:
Yeah, totally.
MARTS:
And what are some of the volunteer opportunities that we’re thinking about at the area agency on aging coming up in the year ahead?
What kinds of things are you hoping for and looking for?
MONCADA:
First and foremost, our outdoor chore program is a great way to volunteer, especially for somebody who’s looking for, just those one-off opportunities, or something that will fit their schedule and their availability, something that they can jump into and then be able to jump out of when they no longer have that time to give. And so that program runs all year round and that flexibility, the impact, all of it is really great for volunteers. It really does make a big difference.
And when you see how the yard used to look and then how it looks afterwards, yeah, again, just being able to really see those results, it feels really good. But outside of that, we also have opportunities for supporting family caregivers in our agency. So being able to help with caregiving resources and helping people while they are trying to take care of their loved ones, just give them resources, keep them going, offer them support.
And then we also have the Medicare team at our agency helping older adults with navigating all of the complicated stuff that comes with health insurance and trying to figure that out. So as you can imagine, that is super, super helpful and very impactful work. And then, yeah, we are also just looking to support some of our other providers and the other organizations that we’re connected with, too.
So yeah, reach out if you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, because we are all connected and support one another. So if you’re interested in a food pantry, if you’re interested in animals, just like how you were explaining. And of course, if you’re interested in working with older adults, there’s just lots and lots of opportunity and connection.
MARTS:
Yep. And you know about some of these other opportunities in the community to volunteer because you’re part of another group. Tell us a little bit about what you participate in here in Colorado Springs.
MONCADA:
Yeah, so I am part of a volunteer professionals group. And so we are all part of volunteerism in some form or fashion. But we’ve got connections with the parks and recreation folks, if you’re looking to do something more outdoorsy.
Again, if you are connected with animals, the Humane Society, Paralympic Museum, it’s really interesting to see how many different organizations really rely on volunteers. They’re the backbone of so much that gets done in the communities. And yeah, the group that I have the pleasure of meeting with on a regular basis, we’re always sharing what we’re doing and sharing what our needs are, or sharing groups that are reaching out for volunteer opportunities and just really trying to help each other.
So yeah, if you ask about volunteering with one group, you can ask about volunteering with other groups. And we’re really good about getting people connected with the type of volunteer opportunity that really speaks to them.
MARTS:
Yeah. I think that’s a great resource to have. And I know that for anyone, especially older adults though, we know that having social connection really helps to foster a healthy aging kind of life.
And so one of the things that older adults can be encouraged to do is to get out and volunteer. And so within our organization, you mentioned the opportunity to help with the SHIP program, state health insurance program, Medicare, great opportunity for people to broaden their knowledge, because they have to go through quite a bit of learning, right, to become a volunteer in the SHIP program. Is that right?
MONCADA:
Yeah, yeah. And the great thing about the area agency on aging is there’s so much support and training and lots of staff support too, that have so much experience and a background of knowledge. And it’s a good opportunity for anybody who does like to be in the know about what’s going on, and be the go-to person in their social circles for when somebody has a question or is looking for a resource.
Because the area agency on aging, we try to be a hub of all of that information so that we can better serve the community and help guide them in the right direction and point them to the resources that are available to them.
MARTS:
And I think too, I kind of want to circle back, because I did get off track pretty quick and easy, which I can do that. But thinking about that social connection piece, and how important that is that volunteers can build that opportunity, whether they’re getting connected to the individuals they’re supporting, or whether they get connected to other people who are volunteering, or in our case might be staff at our agency or whoever. And so being able to have those opportunities to meet other people, ideally folks who have things in common with you, find combined interests.
And you had brought to my attention that January is also National Mentoring Month. Is that right?
MONCADA:
Yes.
MARTS:
And so there’s another kind of social connection there. But how do you see our volunteer program contributing and being a part of a mentoring opportunity as well?
MONCADA:
Yeah, I think something that I always highlight about the area agency on aging are two big things. So first, that we are the hub of resources for a lot of folks, but also that we have a connection to some different local governments. If anybody’s ever interested in learning a little bit of the nuts and bolts about how policy gets formed, how legislation gets talked about, and how it works its way up through the system, our meetings are open to the public most of the time.
We post about the subjects ahead of time so that the public can read what we’re going to be discussing. So if you’re curious about all the crazy construction, the roads and the bridges, come on over. We’ve got the meeting that they’re talking about all of those things. And of course, local policies and things.
And our agency tries to be a voice in the room that’s always advocating for the older adults, no matter where legislation and policy is being discussed. So I think that if somebody is looking to get connected into that world, it’s a really great foot in the door. It really does show you a little bit of how it works. And so anybody who’s interested in that is also going to really benefit from doing volunteer work at an agency like ours.
MARTS:
Very good point.
MONCADA:
Yeah. And something too, that I know we discussed a little bit before, when it comes to fostering community and doing that through volunteer work, you’re absolutely right. Volunteering is such a great way to, not just get connected with like-minded people who have the same passion to serve a community that you’re serving, or to step in to do a little bit of work where it’s needed, but also, we get a lot of like soldiers and students who like to do volunteer work as a way of getting to know the area, getting to know the city, getting to know where things are, what are the different areas of town like?
Because volunteering can really take you in a lot of different directions, a lot of different places that you wouldn’t normally walk that path if you didn’t have a purpose in that different area.
So I think that volunteering is such a great way of finding community and building community. I think that we find community in service to others. I think we find our people when we’re trying to reach a handout to help those that we can. Definitely.
MARTS:
So agree with that. So agree. You just never even know what doors might open once you’ve walked through that door to be a volunteer somewhere.
And with our community and all the varieties of non-profits and opportunities, it’s nice that people can call the area agency on aging and we probably know a place that you might want to volunteer. So whether it’s with us or if it’s with somebody else. So yeah.
MONCADA:
Yeah. And then the mentoring piece of the puzzle is so interesting because, working with older adults, they are just a treasure trove of information and experience. And so often it’s like you crack that door just a little bit and there’s so much behind it.
So much experience, connection to other communities. We did some holiday decorating for our volunteer program where we organized some volunteers to help older adults decorate their spaces for the holidays because it is very labor intensive. Anybody who’s been up on ladders and stepping on step stools and putting Christmas trees together know it’s a lot of work.
MARTS:
Yeah.
MONCADA:
And not everybody is physically able to do that.
MARTS:
Yeah.
MONCADA:
So our volunteers stepped in to help people who signed up for that. And just talking with them, they’ll tell you about how they used to run huge organizations and be the right hands to really important people and trained musicians and been around when historical things were happening.
It’s really interesting. And I genuinely feel like people can find their mentors through working with older adults. They just have such a wealth of knowledge and experience and can really, I think, guide somebody In a very unique way because they’ve walked the path that somebody else is hoping to walk.
MARTS:
Exactly. And fortunately, the door opened that way and they got to meet each other. And I know that we have a volunteer project in addition to the holiday decorating work that we have done with the photo series that we have done with our volunteer, Jo Ruth.
Speaking of mentors and people who have a wealth of information about the community, I know I’ve participated a lot with that project. And so I don’t know if you want to make a few comments about it or if I should just share a little bit more about it. What do you think, Dali?
MONCADA:
We’ll do a little bit of a combo because I know you know a little bit more about the project itself. But yeah, Jo Ruth, a pillar in the community who’s done a lot of really great work with the Area Agency on Aging is doing this project where she is going through, is it Gazette? All of the Gazette papers all the way back to, I don’t even know how far back.
MARTS:
Forty years.
MONCADA:
Forty years.
MARTS:
We’ll just say every single paper for the last 40 years.
MONCADA:
Every paper for the last 40 years and categorizing them and organizing them and basically putting together the record of all of it.
MARTS:
Yeah, they have this one photograph that’s a look back, right? And so it’s this photo of the Colorado Springs Pikes Peak area that was taken sometime after the late 1800s, right? Like, we have pictures in there that are 1850, I think, and then going forward to today.
And so it’s been a really interesting intergenerational volunteering opportunity because we had a student from Pikes Peak State College come who was in an anthropology class. And this was exactly what he needed to get more information about the region and learn about how this area has evolved over time. I mean, what a great history kind of dig in for a student in kind of a unique way.
And also got to talk to a woman who she herself is somewhat of an archivist and kind of historian for our region and has done just so much. So we also have that opportunity for volunteering so that we can hopefully finish that up in 2026 and have those books go to the Pioneers Museum or possibly to the Pikes Peak Library District. Jo’s still working on which entity will be the house for those.
And then once this project is over, and the photos that she has pulled out are done, we are done. I don’t know if there’s somebody that will continue it forward. But you can imagine, you’ve seen the boxes in my office of the amount of content that she saved.
But we’ve been powering through it. And it’s really fun to see those pictures and be able to ask questions and learn about it and have it be an intergenerational volunteer opportunity as well. One thing that you didn’t mention is I think people helping to answer phones at our organization and doing that information and assistance, information and referral program.
I don’t think you brought that up yet. Talk a little bit more about that.
MONCADA:
Yes, thank you. So we have a phone line at the area agency on aging where people can call in to get connected with the resources that we’ve collected from the community. We cover that phone line through both staff and volunteers.
And again, it’s just a really great role for somebody who is interested in knowing what resources are out there and what events are going on, what is happening in the community, and be able to share that. It’s super, super helpful. It provides incredible support in the office to know that somebody is able to help answer those calls and then, of course, get those calls transferred to the right people because we have our programs and our agency. But then also for somebody to be able to look up the resources that we’ve collected and said, hey, you’re looking for this. Let me give you a couple of phone numbers of some organizations that we know of. You can reach out and get the ball rolling.
MARTS:
Yeah. And we have a couple of volunteers who’ve been with us for a while answering those calls. Can you share a little bit about thinking of Bea and Katie?
Tell the listeners a little bit about Bea and Katie who’ve been answering phones for us for a while.
MONCADA:
Yeah, well, all of our volunteers are great.
MARTS:
Good point.
MONCADA:
Yes, Bea and Katie have definitely been with our organization for a long time. But then something else that’s really special about both of those gals is they really go even more above and beyond with the time that they donate to us. They participate in our Regional Advisory Council. I know Bea does.
And then Katie is always jumping in whenever there are events or activities going on. And chances are if she’s not at the event or activity on behalf of our organization, she’s probably there representing another one, or of course, participating herself. She’s a lovely social butterfly and always is paying attention to what’s going on out there and what she’s hearing. And anytime she hears of somebody using a really good program, or getting connected with a really good resource, she’s lovely about sharing that.
Yeah, both gals have really, whenever they can stepped in to do even more work, even more advocating, especially the Regional Advisory Council, which is comprised of people who donate their time even more to be vocal and to be active about even more programs and services that are needed in the community. They’re really paying attention to what they’re hearing when people call in for services and programs.
If we’re not able to get them connected, or if it’s something that’s a little bit more niche or something that needs to be boosted up or increased, they’re the ones who hear it. And they’re the ones who bring it to the attention of people like ourselves who are building the programs and paying attention to what needs to be boosted up and given support so we can serve more people in the community.
MARTS:
Yep, yep, yep. It’s all about that community connection and building community and getting those relationships rolling. And yeah, all of it happens through volunteering.
And we have lots of opportunities at our organization to do that. And if it’s not our organization, we can connect and help people figure out a different location to spend their time and resources.
We’re coming up on a close here. And so I guess two questions. One, can you remind our listeners how people can get in touch with us?
MONCADA:
Yes. So if you’re interested in looking into some volunteer opportunities, the best way would be to either visit our website, so it’s going to be ppacg.org slash volunteer, we’ll get you straight to the volunteer page. You can also call 719-471-7080.
And I’m at extension 114. You can call me directly and I will happily communicate with you and share anything that I can for what folks might be interested in learning more about. Yes, those are the two main ways.
MARTS:
And then is there anything else that you want to kind of share or kind of comment just in closing here, just putting you on the spot?
MONCADA:
Yeah, I would probably really like to highlight again, the outdoor chore program. We are going into the winter season where the outdoor work becomes a little bit less predictable, because you cannot always schedule when snow’s gonna fall. But if folks are interested in signing up, we like to get folks connected with their neighbors, older folks who need some help. We’ll provide equipment, snow shovels, salt and sand and other safety equipment to help people stay safe in their home during this winter season. So yeah, reach out to the area agency on aging, help some of your older neighbors stay safe in their home during the winter season.
MARTS:
Thank you, Dali. And we’re looking forward to more snow. All right.
MONCADA:
No kidding. It’s been hot.
MARTS:
Thank you. That’s the show. Thanks to all of you for being with us today.
Aging with Altitude is created by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government’s Area Agency on Aging. Visit us at ppacg.org and click on Aging Services for more information about the programs of the Area Agency on Aging.