Sonomans among many seniors enrolled at Volunteer Center

Polly Breckinridge has been a volunteer at the front desk of Sonoma Valley Hospital for 19 years. Photo by Ryan Lely.

Bernadine Fredell made her living at an Illinois credit bureau. Now 85 and long retired, she shows up like clockwork for the job that has become her second career, as docent at Sonoma’s historic Toscano Hotel.
Polly Breckinridge is poised to celebrate her 20th anniversary as a Sonoma Valley Hospital volunteer. She devotes herself to staffing the information desk, where she uses the people skills she developed as an administrative assistant at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
They represent 757 active seniors who are actively enrolled at the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County.
“I work with 150 agencies, and all of them have requests out for more help,” said Laurie Parish, coordinator of the center’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program. “We have a little over 100 people in Sonoma alone, with ages that range from 55 to well into their 90s.”
Their payoff, they say, is the knowledge that they are doing something productive with their time.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people and helping the hospital without replacing anyone on staff,” Breckinridge said.
“We all need people around us,” added Fredell. “You meet all kinds at the hotel, and some of them have interesting stories to share.”
As a docent, she leads visitors through the Sonoma landmark that served as a working man’s hotel until it closed in 1955, telling them about its history and giving them tours of its turn-of-the-century interior.
At the nearby Sonoma Barracks, where Fredell spends two days a month staffing the bookstore, her favorite visitors are the fourth graders who come in as part of their unit on California.
“I get a good Social Security check, so I feel like I owe it (to society) to do something for someone else,” she said.
Both women encourage other seniors to follow their lead. “There are so many places that need people,” Breckinridge said. Fredell agrees. “You’re never too old as long as you are still able to get around.”
The Volunteer Center maintains an extensive list of volunteer opportunities at more than 680 local agencies, many of them in Sonoma. The list is available online at www.volunteernow.org/volunteering.htm, or at the center, 153 Stony Circle, Suite 100, Santa Rosa, 707.573.3399.