Пенсионеры из Мичигана получили награду United Way за многолетнюю волонтерскую деятельность

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... When Karen Szkutnik retired, she knew she wanted volunteering to be part of the next chapter of her life. What she didn’t know immediately was where she belonged. She wasn’t interested in filling time simply for the sake of being busy. She wanted to find an organization whose mission mattered to her and where she could make a genuine contribution. “I wanted to wait until I felt the right fit,” she said. And that happened at First Step, a Michigan nonprofit serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence. And before long, her husband, John, found his place there, too. Today, the Szkutniks have woven volunteering into their retirement together, tackling jobs as varied as welcoming visitors, repairing bicycles, painting, fixing plumbing, entering data and tending a garden. Their contributions recently earned them a place on United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s 2026 Volunteer Honor Roll, which recognizes people nominated by organizations and community members for making a difference through volunteer service. But the recognition isn’t what keeps the couple coming back. “We’re just kind of in there doing our thing and, to be honest, having fun doing it,” John said. “The biggest thing — it’s truly fun. We look forward to it.” Finding the right fit Volunteering wasn’t an afterthought for the Szkutniks. Long before retirement, they talked about what they wanted that stage of their lives to look like. “We had planned, and hoped maybe is a better word, to retire somewhere between 55 and 60,” John said. “The idea always was that we wanted to get involved. We wanted to kind of give back to the communities. We have been pretty fortunate throughout our careers.” Karen retired first after a 30-year career in health care human resources. Through her work, she encountered employees experiencing domestic violence and helped connect them with resources. Years earlier, she had contacted First Step for workplace training and had also donated items to the organization. So when she began considering volunteer opportunities in 2023, First Step came to mind. The connection made sense. Since 1978, First Step has provided services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Wayne County. Its free and confidential services include a 24-hour helpline, emergency shelter, counseling, safety planning, crisis response, children’s programs, legal advocacy and transitional housing. Before interacting with survivors, Karen completed First Step’s extensive Core Skills Training. John later completed the training, as well. Karen primarily works at the front desk, where being helpful sometimes means something as simple, and important, as creating a welcoming first impression for someone arriving at a difficult point in life. “Just trying to be kind to people, be warm and welcoming to them when they’re coming in for appointments,” she said. At community resource fairs, she has also heard from former clients who stop at the First Step table to tell her how the organization helped them. “That feels really good,” she said. Enter the ‘Bike Doctor’ John, who retired from a career in sales and sales management for a large manufacturing company, arrived at First Step via a different route. The shelter had bicycles for children staying there, but many needed repairs. Parts had been purchased, but someone was needed to put everything back into working order. Karen knew just the person. John repaired the bikes and quickly acquired an unofficial title: “Bike Doctor.” “I got all the bikes going,” he said. “And then after that, they were like, ‘Are you interested in doing some other things?’” Now, he assists First Step’s maintenance staff with whatever needs attention — painting, cleaning floors, taking out garbage, repairing plumbing or tackling the next item on the day’s list. It isn’t glamorous work, but that is part of the Szkutniks’ philosophy about volunteering: Helping an organization doesn’t always mean doing its most visible work. “Where you might be able to help the most might not be the most glamorous part of the organization, or the most visible,” Karen said. “There are so many needs that go into running the operation.” Her advice is to consider not only what you’d like to do, but where your abilities are genuinely needed. “It’s important to do where your skills can help, and what they need the most,” she said. “You’ll be doing the most good that way.” A garden with a purpose One project allows John and Karen to work side by side. The couple adopted its Healing Garden near the entrance to First Step’s shelter after noticing that it needed attention. They understood that the people walking through those doors might be arriving under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. They wanted the first thing visitors saw to be something cared for and beautiful. The garden had already been thoughtfully designed, so the couple cleaned it up and began maintaining it, adding plants while preserving its purple theme. Hydrangeas and wild carnations grow there, and this year they added irises. Every Wednesday when they volunteer, they check for weeds and grass and make sure the space looks neat. “It seems like that could help a little bit when someone’s coming in, moving in, or coming to meet a counselor,” Karen said. The Healing Garden was among the couple’s contributions highlighted when First Step nominated them for United Way’s Volunteer Honor Roll. The organization described them as dependable and adaptable and “truly an extension of our team and mission.” Karen made sure the honor didn’t go to John’s head. After learning they had been selected, John recalled Karen telling him to check the garden: “We can’t be nominated for this and have a bad garden. Make sure you weed the garden.” Learning along the way Their time at First Step has also changed their understanding of domestic violence. Seeing families arrive at the shelter can be heartbreaking, John said, but it has also given him an appreciation for the courage required to leave an abusive situation. First Step’s training was particularly eye-opening. “People sometimes ask why someone experiencing abuse doesn’t simply leave,” he said. The training helped him understand the complicated financial, emotional, safety, and other barriers survivors can face. Karen said one of the lessons she’s taken away is the importance of being there without judgment. “Still be there, and be supportive, and be ready when they are for the next step,” she said. Retirement, together — but independently Although the Szkutniks usually volunteer at the same time, they aren’t necessarily working together. Karen may be at the front desk while John is somewhere else in the building handling maintenance. On Mondays, they also help with data entry at First Step’s Plymouth office, often working on separate projects in neighboring offices. That independence seems to suit them. Then, when the volunteer shift ends around 1 p.m., they often spend the rest of the afternoon together. “We’re like, ‘OK, let’s go have lunch together,’” John said. “Kind of make a day of it.” They also value the flexibility retirement provides. They have a small place in Florida and may leave Michigan for several weeks at a time, something First Step accommodates. In return, the couple makes reliability a priority. “To me, it feels almost like that’s the most important thing,” John said, “if they can count on us to be there when we say we’re going to be there.” For people considering volunteering, Karen recommends resisting the urge to grab the first opportunity that appears. Instead, she suggests finding a cause that feels personally meaningful. “Find something that aligns with your values, that you can really drill hard into,” she said. John agrees. Retirement, he said, can provide the time to contribute to causes that were difficult to fit into the demands of a career. For the Szkutniks, giving some of that time to First Step has created a rhythm to retirement they once hoped they would find: useful work, shared purpose, a chance to help others — and, quite often, lunch together afterward. “There are plenty of organizations out there that need you,” Karen said. “We can all help each other.”