Senior of the Month - February 2010

print this page

Arvada Sunrise Rotary and Apex- Honor a Senior

Senior Nomination: Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 7 am

Name: Patricia J. Garland

Today we honor Patricia “Pattie” Garland for her eight plus decades of contributing to her community. Pattie was born in Flint, Michigan and was raised on a “City Farm” in Grand Blanc. She remembers the chickens, pigs, and driving the big old tractor. She got her education in Medical Assistant and Lab Technician from Michigan State University, Bowling State University and a private school. In 1959 she married David and a few years later they moved their family to Colorado. They have a son and a daughter, and two grandchildren.

Pattie got her volunteer career started at a young age, as she was actively involved and an officer for Jobs Daughters and was President of MU Chapter of Mu Delta. As a young mom she took on the role as editor of Trader Grade Schools newsletter. She then volunteered for many years as an office worker at Fort Logan Mental Health.

In 1982 Pattie became one of the charter members of the Community Recreation Center, known then as the North Jeffco Senior Recreation Center. In 1983 she organized a group of volunteers at the Center called the Crafty Seniors, who took donated craft supplies and created sellable items to benefit the Center. These ladies knit, sew, crochet, assemble, paint and do whatever it takes to make a whole host of items such as sweaters, afghans, kitchen towels, dolls, and much more. Over the years the proceeds from this group have helped to purchase furniture for the lobby, commercial oven and stove, electric doors and many other things that help keep the center in tip top shape. This group is still active today!

Since 1988 Pattie has volunteered to drive a weekly route with the Volunteers of America, Meals on Wheels program. Each week she delivers hot meals to 8 to 10 home-bound seniors. Often the friendly folks that deliver the meals are the main socialization for these seniors. Pattie says that through the years you get familiar with the people you deliver to, and wonderful friendships emerge.

Pattie loves to knit and she singlehandedly knitted 154 sweaters for Warm Woolies, a non-profit that provides sweaters to American Indian orphans and to children in South Africa.

Pattie volunteers as she loves to help others and enjoys meeting people. Besides her main two hobbies of volunteering and knitting, Pattie enjoys cross-stitching, walking, fitness, fishing, camping and traveling.

Pattie spends her life on others and it is most appropriate that we honor her as a Senior Hero.