Mount Evans Volunteer
My husband, Dale, and I have been involved with Mount Evans in some form since the beginning. We have done everything from putting metal shelving together for the office, working on the Gala for 22 years, helping with the Freedom Run, and working on the Angel Project.
We have lived in Evergreen (Dale since 1966) and I since 1973. There have been many changes through the years, but one thing we were always concerned about was the difficulty for people with home health needs and hospice care. When Carol Linke started Mount Evans in 1980, we were very glad to have that kind of service in our mountain community. We feel strongly about supporting an organization that is so critical to our mountain residents.
From the early days, I never thought about how it might personally affect us. But, both my parents ended up using the services of Mount Evans as well as Dale and myself, both in home health after surgeries, and hospice care for my mother.
At one point, I was working at Evergreen Lutheran Church, working on the Mount Evans Gala, and taking care of my mom. The Director of Mount Evans strongly encouraged me to get an aide to help me with my mom. Mom was reluctant at first until Alison came into our lives. She took care of all of us. She was funny, competent, caring and lifted all our spirits – even the dog. She couldn’t wait to see Alison. She seemed to know when she was going to come and would sit and wait at the door for her.
Aside from supporting Mount Evans, it has been so rewarding to work with the staff and other volunteers. Many of the volunteers have personal stories with Mount Evans and our time together is often a healing and comforting experience. It’s all about relationships – and that is what Mount Evans is…all about relationships!
