Carl Jacobi

Age: 80.

Family: Son, David in Manteca; daughter, Karen in San Jose; five grandchildren; one great-grandson.

Residence: Yuba City.

Occupation: Retired field engineer for General Electric, with Department of Defense contracts.

How long have you lived in the Yuba-Sutter area? Twenty years in May.

Hobbies, interests: I do carpentry, electronics, play around on the computer.

For what groups do you volunteer? The Widowed Persons Association of California — I've been doing the group's newsletter since 2010. Most people my age are afraid of computers, so this is a job I can't pass on to another. They would have to hire someone.

A neighbor got me involved in the group — my wife died in May 2005 and I joined in November.

At the First Lutheran Church in Yuba City I do maintenance, cook and help. I started at this church around 2005 and have volunteered at other churches in the past.

I help with the church's Wednesday night dinner every week and built its kitchen cabinets — I started working in the building trade when I was 14, right after World War II, but was stopped four years later because I didn't have a union card. So I started using my skills — when somebody needed something, I built it.

In 2010 I was the coordinator of a military reunion for the USS Hunt in the Bay Area during Fleet Week. I served in the US Navy from 1951-1955.

I have always been active — my dad was a minister.

How do you fit volunteering into your schedule? I also do yard work at my home, help whenever they call me. There's always time. As you get older you have to go out and do things, not just sit on the couch.

I would rather not be in charge, but be the secondary — I have more flexibility.

Why be a volunteer? It takes up your time, you're giving back to the community. You don't do it for self-satisfaction, but the satisfaction of others. Volunteering make you feel good.

How can people decide for what to volunteer? There's various organizations and places looking for volunteers — police, sheriff auxiliaries, churches, the Moose Lodge, Gleaners, C.A.N., senior citizen centers, hospitals.

Quote: "Make sure you do a good enough job. My fear it's not good enough."

Volunteer of the Week runs Tuesdays. To submit the name of a volunteer to be featured, contact Community Editor Leticia Gutierrez at 749-6552.