NILES — Janey Waterhouse is a testament to how a resident’s volunteer work can change a city for the better and inspire others to do the same.

Waterhouse, 87, who has been an avid volunteer for decades was recognized last Monday during a city council meeting. When Mayor Nick Shelton presented her with Certificate of Appreciation that commended her longtime volunteerism, Waterhouse received a standing ovation from those in attendance.

While Waterhouse said she was honored to receive the award, she said the people who truly deserve recognition are the city officials and residents she has volunteered to serve.

“There are lots of wonderful volunteers,” Waterhouse said. “I am one of hundreds.”

People don’t have to get to know Waterhouse well to know that she is always thinking of new ideas to help those who call Niles home. She keeps a notebook, where she lists these ideas as they pop into her head.

Waterhouse first moved to Niles with her family from Cheswick, Pennsylvania, in 1956. Since then, Waterhouse and her late husband Bruce have raised five children. Waterhouse is also a renowned harpist who played professionally for 30 years. While this might seem like a busy enough life, Waterhouse described her volunteerism as “a continuum” since her move to Niles.

A few of her efforts include serving as a volunteer for the city clerk’s office for about 20 years, where Waterhouse has worked meticulously to keep thousands of voters’ records up to date. She also served on the Parks and Recreation Board from about 2004 to 2014.

With a love for walking her Golden Retriever through the parks, Waterhouse wanted to make sure that the trash she often saw strewn about was not going to end up in the St. Joseph River. So, she organized monthly park cleanups, that saw volunteers of all ages join in her mission to keep Niles’ parks clean. Though clean ups are no longer regularly scheduled since Waterhouse left the board, she said she sees events like Make a Difference Day helping to continue her effort.

Waterhouse also traveled to local elementary schools to talk with students about the importance of caring for their parks and picking up trash when they see it. During these demonstrations, she brought along a trash bag, stuffed with garbage that she had found in the park. This she said helped to illustrate just how much trash someone can find on a walk.

Her walks with her dog also inspired the creation of a Great Blue Heron sculpture which she gifted to the city late last year. Waterhouse described how she was moved by the site of Great Blue Herons that she saw along Riverfront Park. She commissioned sculptor John Van Dyke into creating a piece that would pay homage to this. Van Dyke’s approximate 4-foot tall rendering of a Great Blue Heron, carved from wood, can still be seen at the Niles District Library.

This year, Waterhouse collaborated with Niles city council member Georgia Boggs to create a pamphlet for those new to the city of Niles. The pamphlet has a list of all available resources in the city, as well as general information like when to put out leaves for leaf pickup.

Waterhouse said she has always had an interest in being civically engaged. When she didn’t like the way things were done or wanted something improved, Waterhouse tried to find a way to make it better, she said. Besides her volunteering efforts, one example of this is when Waterhouse ran against incumbent mayor Larry Clymer in 1987. Waterhouse described wanting to shake things up in “the old boys’ club” and so she spent her time going door to door to rally support. While Waterhouse did not win the election, she said she “made a fair showing” during the race. 

Waterhouse is still fired up for change and doesn’t plan on taking a break any time soon. She encouraged others to find a cause that inspires them and to give back.

“It’s a really big world. I don’t want to say things can always be better, but they can,” Waterhouse said. “You see a little bitty need and you say, ‘well, I have time to do that or I would have fun doing that,’ which is really my approach. … I’ve got three or four things in my brain right now.”