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Friday, March 28, 2014
Volunteer Chore Services seeking volunteers BY SERAINE PAGE SPAGE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Catholic Community Services is calling for people of all talents to volunteer for chore services through the organization. The Catholic Community Services/Volunteer Services Program has served Kitsap County’s low-income elders and disabled adults for the last 33 years with the help of volunteers throughout the peninsula. Volunteers may spend time working individually or in groups, twice a month or even every day. “We help to keep them in their own homes before they go to an assisted living facility,” said Donna Jones, Catholic Community Services program coordi-
nator. The greatest need at the moment is for builders to construct wheelchair ramps and do minor home repairs, Jones said. A few of her volunteers have passed away or moved, leaving her organization with fewer and fewer volunteers. Some are getting older, and they can’t handle the physical requirements of construction building. One group that has consistently been of great help to the organization is the Bluebills volunteer group, Jones said. The Bluebills are a group of Boeing retirees who have knowledge in engineering and construction and frequently do builds together. “They’re getting older,” Jones said of the 20-year-
Wayne Nilen Johnson 73, of Silverdale
July 12,1940 to March 12th, 2014 Wayne Nilen Johnson was born in Bottineau, ND to Joseph and Beatrice Johnson. He was the oldest of eight children. He graduated from Bottineau High School and then received his business certificate from college. Wayne married Joan Bergman in September 1961. They moved to Bismarck, ND to start their new life together. While in Bismarck, ND, they had two sons, Kirk and Craig. November 1968 they ventured out West to Bremerton, WA., where Wayne started his new job at the Kitsap Sun newspaper as credit manager, and later as a office manager. In 1989 he started his own excavating business. Wayne was an active member of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church and enjoyed taking the Eucharist to shut-Ins. He developed real friendships with those people. He was a very gregarious, gentle, and caring man with a sense of humor that most enjoyed. He was totally involved in his son’s lives and was their best friend as they grew up. He coached Kirk’s little league baseball team and was active in Craig’s Bow Scout Group. Wayne enjoyed fishing, golfing, motorcycling, and in later years his golf cart enabled him to join our neighbors, children, and pets on our half mile road. Wayne passed away peacefully with his wife by his side. He was preceded in death by his father Joseph. Wayne is survived by his wife Joan, mother Beatrice, sons; Kirk (Melissa) of Tacoma and Craig (Judy) of Gig Harbor, two grandsons; Nicholas and Kyle, seven siblings; Julie (Merle) Kroeplin, Gary (Marsha) Johnson, Patty (Arnie) Kleppe, Ryan (Bev) Johnson, Paul (Sharon) Johnson, Barton (Marina) Johnson, and Cathy (Mark) Brekke, plus 5 nieces and 7 nephews. There will be a Funeral Mass and celebration of life on Monday, May 5, at 11 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, located at 4215 Pine Rd. NE in Bremerton. An online memorial can be seen at http://www.tuellmckeebremerton. com/. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of your choice in Wayne’s name or to “Disabled American Vets” www.dav.org
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old Bluebill group. “There’s gonna come a time when they can’t do this much longer.” According to the Bluebill’s website, the retirees put in 88,319 hours of volunteer work in 2012 alone across western Washington, including Kitsap County. It is Jones’ hope that similarly enthusiastic individuals will step up to the plate to volunteer their time for chore services. The current Bluebills group can get a railing or ramp done in four hours or less, which allows them to move on quickly to other projects. All projects are up to code, including ADA requirements, Jones said. Volunteer John Breslin, a shipyard retiree, has
spent the last 13 years volunteering for Catholic Community Services. Some weeks he’ll have four or five clients who need him to install a grab bar in the bathroom or fix something around their home. Other times he won’t have calls for two or three weeks at a time, he said. But no matter when he gets the call, he’s raring to go. “To me, it’s a big deal to keep our older folks — which I am rapidly approaching upon — in their homes,” said Breslin. “I do whatever I can do to keep somebody in their home so they’re safe and empowered so they feel like a human being.” Breslin has done everything from electrical and plumbing to sheetrock and
Kenneth D Hughes 1938 - 2014 Kenneth D Hughes died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday night,18 March 2014. Ken, the son of Charley and Blanche Hughes, was born in Pleasant Valley [Gorst],WA, in 1938. He attended South Kitsap High School, served in the US Navy,and was a Bremerton Firefighter for more than 33 years, retiring as BFD Deputy Chief in 1993. He also drove a truck for Bremerton Concrete and was a Security Guard at Kitsap Mall around his BFD shift schedule. Ken loved nothing more than to bring smiles to his family, friends and neighbors, often to the point of soft groans and rolled eyes. From a table in his garage, he greeted and engaged neighbors, dog-walkers, joggers, missionaries and door-todoor salespersons. Strangers were truly friends he’d not yet met. Ken never lost his first-responder mindset and would always drive from point A to point B, seldom hitting a stop sign or traffic light and never back-tracking. Ken had breakfast every Tuesday morning at the Burger King on Kitsap Way with his brothers Jimmy Hughes and Frank Burton. They were predeceased by their brother, Fred Hughes, whom they miss dearly. He is survived by his wife, Judith [White] Hughes; his daughter Melinda Hughes; son and daughter-in-law Mark and Leslie [Gibb] Hughes; step-daughter Chris King-Talley; 9 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and his ex-wife and the mother of his children, Linda [Jones] Hickey. He would be pleased to know that his friend Ron has arranged to finish his gardening and Paul is hauling away the trash, the puppy is on hold, and he is right: Birch trees are messy. He is truly missed. Ken will be honored at a memorial service at 1:00 p.m., Saturday 29 March 2014,at the Kitsap Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 4418 Perry Avenue NE, Bremerton. In lieu of flowers,donations may be made to the Rescue One Fund, Bremerton Fire Department, 911 Park Avenue, Bremerton, WA 98337. Please see the full obituary at http://www.tuellmckeebremerton.com
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framing in homes. As for recipients having strangers in their home, Breslin has never come across an unkind or ungracious homeowner. “They’re really receptive to having somebody come out and help,” he said. “That’s all that we’re doing it for is to help. They know they need help, and they really want to stay in their home.” State funding hasn’t been kind to nonprofits, and one of the major cutbacks has been on grab bars, which help those who need assistance getting up and down, Jones said. The chore services aspect of Catholic Community Services started in 1981 “in response to cuts in services for elders by the state legislature,” states the Catholic Community Services website. “The state is not allowed any more to provide funding for any modifications in the bathroom,” Jones said. “We picked up that slack with the help of the Bluebills.” Because volunteers can only spend so much time providing services, any elder or people with disabilities are asked to call in advance for help. Many times the volunteers are tied up and may not be able to drive someone to a doctor’s appointment that same day, Jones said.
“We don’t have instant volunteer services,” she said. Services like laundry and minor home repair are available to those 60 and older, living on a fixed income who also have health or mobility limitations. Adults, ages 18 through 59, with temporary or permanent functional limitations are also eligible for services. For those who cannot volunteer their time, there are a variety of ways to donate to Catholic Community Services. Cash gifts, recurring gifts, inkind gifts (paper products, toiletries, clothing, etc.) and vehicle donations are all accepted. Breslin noted that anyone who wants to make a difference should give Catholic Community Services a call. “If you really want to be able to feel like you’ve contributed to the community, this is the way to do it,” he urged. “We all have to give a little bit back. We can’t continually just take all the time. This is a good opportunity to give a little bit back.” For more information on volunteering, contact Donna Jones, program coordinator at donnaj@ccsww.org or 360-405-0072. Interested volunteers or donors can also find information online at www.ccsww.org.