What do you want to talk about today?
Well, volunteering became a big part of my life after the Army. Unfortunately, because I was part of the action, I don’t have the photos to back it up, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
Fine.
I told you about the volunteering I did in connection with my writing. The newsletters, for instance. And with my Quality Circle. That kind of stuff.
Right.
Some of it has a connection with writing, but there’s more to it. Leadership, I guess you’d call it. For instance, when I first moved to Maryland I got involved with my local community association.
I joined the West Severna Park Community Association. My second year there they elected me treasurer. A few years later I was the secretary. Both positions made me a member of the Board of Directors.
But the town had many communities, and community associations, so there was also a Greater Severna Park Council. And my board appointed me to represent our association on the Council.
You must have been busy.
I was. But that was okay. And here’s an interesting point. When I was on the Council — in the late Fifties — there were maybe a dozen communities represented. I searched the Web the other day and found that the Council now has 57 members. How’s that for growth?
A lot. Makes for a bigger Website too.
Well, we had no Website back then. There was no Internet back then. Back in the Dark Ages, so to speak.
I see.
While I think of it, there’s one incident that sticks in my mind regarding my time as treasurer of our Association. Our community was on the Severn River. So we had some property that served as a beach. And each summer we hired a lifeguard.
And we had several lifeguards over the years. Teenage girls who lived nearby. Fortunately.
Why fortunately?
Because I had to get in touch with each of them. One day I got a letter from Internal Revenue.
Seems they were aware of our situation, and they claimed we should have been paying Social Security taxes on each of them. And they were right. We hadn’t been. So I had to get in touch with each of them. Three of them, I think it was. Get their Social Security numbers. Then figure from our records how much we paid each. Then send IRS a check for each.
Some fun.
Yep. But the Feds were right. We should have been doing it all along.
But, beyond the community association, I got involved in the in other ways. For instance, we had a Severna Park Health Center. Provided health care to low-income residents.
I did some volunteering with them. Wasn’t on the Board, but I helped out. And when I switched from 45-rpm records to LPs — I’m a big fan of recorded music — I donated all my 45s to the Health Center.
Then I got involved with Scouting too. When my son joined the Cub Scouts I volunteered with his den.
And when he joined the Boy Scouts, likewise.
I think that’s enough for now. I’ll cover another aspect of it next time.
Okay,