Joyce Wimple

Name: Joyce Wimple

Age: 68.

Family: Husband, Ben; two sons, Matthew and Michael; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Residence: Browns Valley.

Occupation: Retired from the state Employment Development Department.

How long have you lived in the Yuba-Sutter area? Seventeen years, but we have had property here for closer to 30 years. We moved here from Sacramento and before that lived in Humboldt County.

Hobbies, interests: I love to garden, like to quilt, make jewelry.

For what group do you volunteer? The Loma Rica Lioness Club — I've been a member for close to 12 years and currently am the president, treasurer and I write the bulletin.

We have a monthly community breakfast; a large crab feed in November, our biggest fundraiser; and put on the veterans dinner in November.

We sponsor the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Venture group — that requires that we attend Troop 59 executive meetings each month — and help Beale Air Force Base, the Salvation Army and 4-H groups.

We probably raise $15,000 a year. Most of it goes back to the community.

(I joined the Lioness Club because) I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to be active in some small club — we only have about 12 members. The community really needs the support.

I am also active with District 4C1 Lioness — it covers the area from Marysville-Yuba City to the Oregon border. I've been president of that for four years and am the current vice president.

How do you fit volunteering into your schedule? You just make the time because it's very rewarding. I had children to raise and worked full time and I wanted to give back when I retired. It's important to stay active.

Words of advice: There's always a way you can contribute. A lot of parents come and work fundraisers with us. For the students, it's an experience they can use when they apply for work.

Why be a volunteer? There's a lot of work out there that needs to be done. The rewards of knowing what you give (by volunteering) is helping others, to see people benefit from your efforts. You can always do something and make someone feel better.

Is there anything negative about volunteering? Only if you want it to be. Some people have a negative attitude, but I think if you can stick with the positive you feel better and the people you're around feel better.

Quote: "We need to take care of each other and our communities."