Sue Wilder, 65, of Dowagiac, has been volunteering in the community for the last 10 years. She volunteers at a number of organizations in Cass County, including the Dowagiac Area History Museum, the Cass County Council on Aging, the Cass County Historical Society and the ACTION Ministries food bank.

What all do you do in the community?

At the museum, I did the reception desk, and then anything that [Museum Director Steve Arseneau] needed done, like mailing or anything like that. At the COA, I do the pen pal program, I do knitting of hats and gloves for area schools. [For the Cass County Historical Society], I head up the fall harvest festival and recruit my friends and family to help during that.

Right now, I am acting treasurer, and I send out the meeting notices and help line up programs for the meetings. I also help with the concession stand at Dowagiac Youth Soccer. And I actually just went and signed up [to volunteer at ACTION Ministries] Saturday, and they put me on the distribution desk. Another thing I do is organize the Contech Reunion.

How did you get started volunteering?

I had friends that volunteered at the museum and the COA and now the food bank, and they said, “Hey, are you interested?” I said, “yes.”

What is your favorite part of volunteering?

Meeting new people, doing new things and keeping active.

How do you think volunteers benefit the community?

There are so many things that can be done to help the community, and I think everybody should do something to give back to the community that has given to them. I’m already getting my granddaughters involved in volunteering, because it is so important.

What would you say to encourage others to volunteer?

You’ll have fun. You’ll learn about your community, and you will meet new people.