LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Eight people were honored Saturday at an award ceremony recognizing senior volunteers who have completed more than 4,000 hours of service.
The Lubbock Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, sponsored by the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center’s Garrison Institute on Aging, presented recipients with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The eight honorees join 14 others who have received the award since 2019.
The award typically includes a certificate signed by the president and a Presidential Seal banner. This year, the Lubbock RSVP was unable to receive those materials due to a government shutdown. In their place, recipients received a proclamation from Sen. John Cornyn.
Volunteering as a prescription
Joan Blackmon with the Lubbock RSVP said the organization’s goal extends beyond the award ceremony.
“There is a lot of times when people retire, but it’s not what they thought it would be, they can’t just sit and do nothing, they want to have a purpose and many of them do, but a lot don’t,” Blackmon said. “I’ve had a person come and call me and say ‘I have a prescription.’ I said ‘Oh ma’am I’m not the pharmacy, let me get you that number.’ She said ‘no my doctor wrote a prescription and said you need to start volunteering.’”
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