After retiring from her work with Westmerica Bank in 2004, Ruth Rakosky left an astonishing record of service to groups throughout northern and central California.
In addition to Hospice and Suicide Prevention, she was a founding member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Business Volunteers for the Arts, and Employment for the Disabled. She had served on boards of directors for the Marin Jewish Community Center, CenterStage, Marin Arts Council, Senior Access and at volunteer centers in Marin and Contra Costa Counties among others.
Rakosky also chaired the United Way Campaign and the Human Race.
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She has since become an active member of the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership's Civic Engagement Leadership Team, working as a team leader who coordinates the consulting assignments with other CELT volunteers after determining a nonprofit's needs.
She feels that this is her real gift: helping organizations brainstorm solutions. She believes that it is a gift to be able to help others, something she has been doing all her life.
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For those who are retiring and considering devoting some time to volunteer work, Rakosky offers some advice. First, look at the terrain and what is available, and then try a few hours of participation. Connect with your passions and trust your instincts as you discover what you really want to do.
Volunteering means giving to others, but it is also about what you are getting.
"It's the fire within that propels you," Rakosky said.
