By Alan Suderman
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Eagles Trace held a blood drive on campus recently, it was so successful that some residents and staff had to be turned away.

“The turnout has been amazing,” organizer Bob Holter says. Holter is part of the Resident Advisory Committee at Eagle’s Trace, a group that meets regularly with the management to discuss various issues and activities on campus. The committee also conceptualizes and organizes events.

Before he moved to Eagle’s Trace, Holter organized a blood drive at his church. “I thought to myself, we can do that here,” he says. Such a can-do attitude is common among residents at the Houston community, according to Volunteer Coordinator Mary Kate Kell. “Since volunteering has proven physical and mental health benefits for those who do it, we really encourage it here,” she says.  “But the residents don’t need much of a push—they are real self-starters.”

Elizabeth Gauldin is one of those self-starters. A 30-year veteran of the space program, Gauldin now uses her energy to help others. She mentors troubled teenagers and is on the board of volunteers at a local hospital, where she has recruited 15 Eagle’s Trace residents to help her make special packages for patients.

It’s just one of many things Gauldin has time for now that she lives at Eagle’s Trace. “You could spend your whole life doing all the stuff that they have going on here!” Gauldin says.

What kind of stuff? Kell pulls out a list of the volunteer activities that residents take part in—the list is 9 pages long and includes 421 activities! “Our residents come with so many different skills and talents that they’ve used all through their lives; and they are ready to use them to help others,” Kell says. “There are opportunities for just about everyone, from woodworking to knitting to mentoring in local schools or modeling in fashion shows, and, of course, giving blood.”