Cindy Streich enjoys volunteering her time

Helen Quick, Realtor®, SRES®, CSHP® Cell: 574-220-7450

If you look up the word volunteer in the dictionary, a photo of Cindy Streich would be included with the entry. This retired schoolteacher devotes time and energy to a number of beloved causes.

“I do as much as I can for people,” Streich said. “My mother taught me to put other people first.” community causes earned her the Age of Excellence Award from REAL Services and Golden Hoosier Award from the state of Indiana. Since retiring, Streich estimates she has amassed more than 20,000 volunteer hours. learned how to properly care for Ella and has developed a close bond with the child. Every month she has a birthday party for Ella. The party totals 137 people.

Streich has taken that lesson to heart. Her volunteerism ranges from helping the young to the elderly, from religious organizations to worthwhile causes in the non-religious and civil service sector. The list of causes she has supported and organizations she has served is lengthy.

She has rocked babies in St. Joseph Hospital’s maternity wing for 18 years. That was suspended when COVID happened, but Streich is anxious to return. She also assists senior citizens at Milton Adult Day Services, assisting clients with arts and crafts.

“The highlight of my life was when I served as a guardian for a Vietnam veteran on an honor flight to Washington, D.C.,” Streich said.

Streich, 70, is a native of South Bend and a graduate of IUSB. She never married and does not have any children. Her mother was also a teacher and as a youngster, Streich would often go to school with her. That led to a 37-year career with South Bend Schools.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said.

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Though awards and recognition are not what Streich seeks by volunteering, in 2017 she was awarded the Indiana Retired Teachers Association Clock Award. In 2020, her devotion to

“I wish I had more hours to volunteer,” she said.

But one person near and dear to Streich’s heart is Ella Hunt. She saw a profile of the South Bend child, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, a debilitating condition for which doctors had given her only months to live when she was a baby. Hunt beat that prognosis. Streich said she learned about Ella from a news story.

Since meeting her, Streich has

“I feel like I am part of the family,” she said. “I love her dearly.”

Streich is easy to find when she is out doing good. Her trademark is her purple hair.

She considers volunteering to be an extension of who she is as a person. Streich hopes others will take up the volunteering call.

“It’s not the quantity of volunteering you do that’s important,” she said. “Every hour you help anybody is beneficial. Just get out there and start helping someone out.”

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