Lake County Council on Aging celebrates 30-year volunteer
courtesy photo
Al Sampson and his wife Joan Sampson
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LAKE COUNTY — After roughly 30 years of volunteer work with the Lake County Council on Aging, Al Sampson, of Ronan, has decided to retire for the last and final time.
Sampson has lived in Ronan since 1967. In 1985, he retired from his position as a real estate appraiser with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1987, he retired from the same position, but this time, he was working for the state. After that, he worked some odd jobs before deciding to volunteer with us.
“It was sometime in the ‘90s, back when Deborah Merritt was the director of the Lake County Council on Aging,” he said of when he started. As to the why, “I wanted to do something other than fiddle around,” after a pause, adding, “I wanted to be active.”
Volunteering primarily as a driver, Sampson’s fondest memory is taking a bus load of senior citizens to Butte and seeing the mansions there as well as the Our Lady of the Rockies statue on the continental divide. He also enjoyed picking people up and taking them to meals at the Mission Valley Senior Center and to medical appointments. “I made a lot of friends,” he remarked about driving for so many years.
In addition to his role as driver, he had been on the board since about 2002. In 2014, when he was President of the Board, he was instrumental in getting a mill levy for the Lake County Council on Aging passed. “The county commissioners were very helpful and cooperative in getting the levy passed and Dave Stipe in particular was extremely helpful,” he said. In fact, the day of the vote he was in the hospital for heart surgery and upon waking, the first thing he asked was if the levy had passed. Up until the day of his surgery, he was out collecting signatures to get it on the ballot.
In his 30 years, Sampson has seen many ups and downs, but he notes, “The past few years have been nothing but up with the current director Dara Rodda. She put in programs, like the farmers market that have been great for the community.” Chuckling, he added, “The only down lately has been COVID.”
In retirement, Sampson plans on visiting all of his kids and relatives in Oregon, Washington, and across the U.S. “I plan on traveling and driving for as long as I can.”
To those thinking about volunteering with the Lake County Council on Aging he says, “It’s great, do it. We need you and people appreciate you highly. It gives you something to look forward to.” To find out more about volunteering you can call 406-676-2367 or go to: https://www.loc8nearme.com/montana/ronan/lake-county-council-on-aging/6190012/
