Catherine Owen: Proving volunteerism knows no bounds
Photo by Josh McDonald Catherine Owen (pink) sits amongst her fellow volunteers at Mom’s Vintage Eatery in Osburn on Thursday. Owen turned 103 on Thursday and celebrated with her friends that she volunteers with at Good Sams Silver Wood Village in Silverton. Behind her is Bob Small, a program director with Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho who coordinates the volunteers and planned Owen’s birthday celebration.
Just making it to 103 years of life is a milestone that most of us will not be able to achieve, but for Catherine Owen, age is just a number.
Owen turned the big 1-0-3 on Thursday and to celebrate that, Bob Small, a program director with the Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho (AAANI) held a small get-together at Mom’s Vintage Eatery to celebrate Owen’s accomplishment both in age and for what she does for AAANI.
The Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho, located in Coeur d’Alene, is one of six Area Agencies in Idaho.
It is part of a nationwide aging network created through the Older Americans Act.
Each of the Area Agencies has a volunteer commissioner appointed by the governor through the Idaho Commission on Aging (ICOA).
Owen is one such volunteer.
Each week Owen and the rest of her volunteers head up to Good Samaritans Society’s Silver Wood Village in Silverton to visit with the residents.
She has been volunteering with the AAANI since January of 2001 and was named Idaho’s Senior Volunteer of the Year in 2014 by Gov. Otter through the ICOA.
“Owen has been a big part of what we do here in the Silver Valley,” Small said. “Every current study shows that loneliness and isolation are the two biggest problems facing seniors, it leads to depression or it leads to suicide. To have people come through weekly or sometimes even more than once a week, there are no words for how much that means to the residents.”
More than 20 of Owen’s fellow volunteers were on hand, along with Small to celebrate Owen and her amazing life and talked about some of the things they enjoy most about her.
“She is such an amazing piano player,” said one of her fellow volunteers. “She goes up to Good Sam’s and plays the piano for the residents and she uses no music, she does it all from memory!”
Owen knows exactly where she gets her longevity: her faith and her volunteerism.
“Both give me a reason to get up every day,” Owen said.
Another of her fellow volunteers toasted Owen for her hard work as well as her longevity.
“You keep doing what you are doing because you are making a difference,” she said. “We all expect to have this party again next year!”
For more information on AAANI or to become a volunteer call Bob Small at (208) 667-3179.