Volunteers get to 'step out'

Arlington Heights village president Arlene Mulder didn't need much persuasion. When asked for volunteers to dance the Jitterbug with professionals from Studio Viva in Palatine, the former gym teacher and basketball coach quickly volunteered.

Turns out she wowed the audience with her graceful moves and fancy footwork, performed before a crowd of more than 500 at last week's event held at the Belvedere Events and Banquets in Elk Grove Village.

But it was Mulder's eagerness to volunteer that underscored the event.

Volunteering was at the core of the afternoon, as participants in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, run by the Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago, turned out for their annual recognition luncheon.

Fittingly, this year's theme was "Dancing with the Stars."

Among the other dignitaries on hand were Nancy Vanderwheel, Elk Grove Township supervisor, as well as Matt Westcott from Illinois' Department on Aging.

The real stars, however, were the dedicated volunteers in attendance, who took their turns on the dance floor, gathering in groups to learn the Electric Slide and other line dances.

"Everything they do is so important," said Mary Fitzgibbons, executive director of the Volunteer Center. "They bring so much dedication, love and care to the things they do, as well as their wealth of experience, that makes them invaluable."

In fact, statistics in their program broke down their volunteer hours, which totaled 120,000 over the last year.

As a group, they numbered 985 total, who volunteered at one or several of the 81 organizations in Northern Cook and Northern DuPage counties.

The biggest number of them, 350, volunteered in area senior centers, while another 161 helped tutor adults in literacy. Another 150 volunteered at area medical and blood centers, while 136 worked in government and social service agencies. There were 125 adults who volunteered in thrift stores, while the rest helped out in elementary schools, in disaster response efforts and in nature centers.

"Their efforts run the gamut," Fitzgibbons added, "but everything they do enriches the lives of others."