Dorothy Wallingsford doesn’t believe in just absorbing resources from the community.
The 44-year Yorba Linda resident has been volunteering for at least 26 years with the Yorba Linda Historical Society and the Friends of the Library and for a lifetime at her church, the Yorba Linda Methodist Church.
“I just can’t get out of anything I’m doing,” said Wallingsford, 86, pointing out that not even a wheelchair or a walker would make her sit at home. “I just keep going.”
Wallingsford and her mother were instrumental in starting the Yorba Linda Senior Citizens group in the late ’70s with the help of a City Council member at the time. There were no activities for seniors when Wallingsford’s mom moved to California from Utah, so she said they needed to start them.
“People need to give back, they can’t just be takers,” Wallingsford said. “They have to give back and in order to be part of the community.”
Question:How did you get involved?
Answer:I think I was at the library with the Friends of the Library and they were talking about them needing people for a historical group. I’m interested in the history of Yorba Linda and in what it has evolved into now. I grew up in Utah on a farm, and I think kids should know what Yorba Linda was like before.
Q:Why is it important for kids to know what Yorba Linda was like before?
A: I think they appreciate it for what it is now, but the past influences our present. And they need to know there were orange groves here and that all these houses weren’t here.
Q:What is the most satisfying part of volunteering?
A:I just feel good that I’m still productive. I’m not sitting down feeling sorry for myself, I’m doing something. I’ve met so many marvelous people through all these activities, it’s amazing.
Q: What has been the best experience in all your years as a volunteer?
A:Oh dear, it’s hard to pick one out. When my husband passed away last year, I realized the groups I volunteer for are my families. I had to bypass some things I was involved in and that didn’t bother anybody. I got so many calls, everybody wanted to do something for me and that was just marvelous.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3790 or cmejia@ocregister.com