Baltimore County, MD Time of Your LIfe, 1 May 2018

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From YouTube: RSVP Volunteers - Become Inspired!

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Pat Shiflett and Charlie Conklin, RSVP volunteers.

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Welcome back to the time of your life., I'm your host, ethel rasmussen., our next segment, showcases pat shiflett and charlie conklin,,.

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Both of whom are devoted rsvp volunteers.

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Be prepared to be amazed at the services they provide for the community.

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Welcome to the show, pat and charlie.

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thank you.. It's a pleasure to be here.

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Yes,, it is. very much. thank you.

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Let's begin with pat. pat,, please share with our viewing audience the volunteer services you've provided for nearly 30 years.

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And what that personally means to you.

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Well,, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to still be in the tax program.

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We started out with maybe doing a hundred returns, a year.

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Now,, we do more than that in a days' time, at the different sites.

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And the amount of money that we save people is astronomical.

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In some cases,, I've been through three generations.

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Of a whole family through those years., that's how loyal our customers are to us.

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So I cannot say enough about this program.

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And the help the baltimore county,, the internal revenue and aarp give us.

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In supporting us, but it's the volunteers that make it work.

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What does that mean to you, that service?.

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Well,, I just am so happy to be able to save seniors money.

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And just the other day, a gentleman came up to me in home, depot.

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"You're the tax lady. I've been coming for 12 years to you, but this year,, I let my son talk me into going to his accountant.

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Well, guess what?. It took me two weeks to get my tax return and $250.

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And you can bet I'll be back again next year and from now on.

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Because he didn't do a bit more for me than you all, do.".

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And it's just that kind of loyalty and satisfaction that we have from our seniors.

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Not only seniors., we do actually anybody of any age.

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Wonderful. charlie,, like pat, you're, a very devoted rsvp volunteer..

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You serve on the advisory. Council.- you are actually honored as our 2017 volunteer of the year at our luncheon.

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Can you talk about your volunteer activities and why you participate in them?.

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I volunteered through the rsvp program, I think, for at least close to 18 years.

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I've actually been a longtime volunteer person.

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Because at bethlehem steel they suggested, I volunteer.

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And in other areas, as I progressed and about 80% of my time, right now is involved with the gunpowder valley, conservancy.

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Which is a local conservation organization and land trust in the gunpowder watershed.

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And then I also and thanks to rsvp, because I wanted to have a diverse opportunity,.

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I became a volunteer for home team and I really love that.

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And I also did meals on wheels and I volunteer with other groups like interfaith partners, for the chesapeake.

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And also,, I'm on the soil conservation district in baltimore, county.

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So my whole life now,, since I retired- is volunteering.

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And if our viewers are thinking about volunteering,, what recommendations would you give them?.

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We have classes every year, starting in the fall.

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At the parkville senior center for anyone who lives in this end of baltimore county and at the arbutus senior center.

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For anybody that lives in that area- and we totally train you to do taxes.

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And we always are looking for new volunteers.

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And I can't say enough about the satisfaction you'll receive.

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From the gratitude of the people that we help.

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Any recommendations, charlie? well,, I guess the first thing is that if you understand.

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The benefits of volunteering, you're not only donating your service.

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To something whether it be tax aid or whether it be cleaning up streams or planting a tree, but also I have an article, it says,, you want to live to a hundred?. You volunteer.”.

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And it is, and it gets people out and you socialize.

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Particularly our seniors, they've got to get out of the house.

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And when you're volunteering, it's wonderful., the other thing I would say is that you have to determine what's my passion?.

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My passion would not be taxes..

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My passion was home team., taking care of someone that needed services..

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So that's the other thing and then look around to see where that volunteer organization exists, test the waters there.

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And then, depending upon how you feel, you get deeper and deeper into it,.

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And right now,, I'm over my head, but it does.

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Loving every minute of it?, I do.

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it keeps me young and I always love people that smile too.

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Well,, thank you both for being on today's show and all of the time, energy and talent that you share with baltimore county communities..

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It's truly an honor to have you here today and to be able to highlight your service that you give to baltimore county.

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Thank you so much.. Thank you very much.. It's our pleasure.

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interested in staying in the know?. It's my pleasure to tell you about the aging's daily updates.

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Which are featured on bcda's facebook, page., remember to friend bcda on facebook to stay current about news and programs through multiple daily postings.

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We're going to take a short break. when we return, learn about special event celebrating bcda's 40th anniversary.

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