Gift People: Volunteering as Self-discovery

Jim Wygant planned ahead to be useful in retirement. So, five years before retiring, he started volunteering for the Title Wave Used Bookstore. Thirteen years later and now retired, he thinks that volunteering at Title Wave is “close enough” to his dream of owning a bookstore. His passion for books, reading and libraries dates back to his grade school days when he volunteered at his school library. With over 3,000 hours given to Multnomah County Library, Jim’s service includes seven years teaching basic computer skills to older adults in the Cyber Seniors program. Cyber Seniors suits him well because it combines his love for teaching and his knack for reducing complex concepts to fundamentals. Asked what he gets from volunteering, Jim mentioned self-discovery and the opportunity to present himself in a fresh role, different from the familiar one that he played in his paid work career.   Gift People is a program of  recorded conversations with civically engaged older adults, sponsored by Library Outreach Services, Life by Design NW and the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by Oregon State Library.