Former Peace Corps volunteer finds purpose in tutoring students
Six decades after serving in West Africa, David Baur volunteers daily in a Michigan elementary school
LANSING, Mich. (Aging Untold) — In his 80s, David Baur could be taking it easy. Instead, his days are full, and he spends time giving back.
He volunteers in a fifth-grade math class at Cumberland Elementary in Lansing every day.
“I go to the Cumberland School every day to be with fifth graders. They invigorate me,” Baur said.
Long before these students were born, Baur answered another call to serve in the Peace Corps.
“I started out really as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa. I worked in the library and public schools for two years,” he said.
Now, he’s back in a classroom, just closer to home.
One student said that if they do something wrong, Baur will fix their mistakes.
Staying engaged benefits health
Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said that for older adults, staying connected with purpose can be a game-changer.
“The active adults that are getting out there and staying socially engaged, they’re having a great time, for one thing, that they have each other. They’re bolstering people in the community, they’re doing fun things, they’re planning fun things, and it has a tremendous impact,” Ambrose said.
Baur said the reward is the satisfaction of knowing each student did a little bit better than they did the day before.
He also volunteers with a mobile food pantry. His lifetime of service earned him Michigan’s Older Adult Volunteer of the Year Award.
Ambrose said showing up like this helps health, too.
“To keep giving back and staying engaged like that, that’s so good for longevity, so good for the brain, so good for the physical body. He’s going to age so much better,” she said.
For Baur, staying positive means staying involved.
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