RV volunteers are at the “go-go” stage

Their kids say: “You’re at the go-go stage of life.” Eleanor and Jim Dick really are on-the-go quite often. As volunteers involved with the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) RV Program since 2023, they join other 55+ people in a close-knit group. They bring their own RVs to an MDS project, where they work together, pray together, and play together.

From Virgil, Ontario, the Dicks have volunteered in Texas and Florida, as well as for an MDS Family Project near Bancroft, Ontario.“It’s always enriching,” Eleanor said, noting that the volunteer cohort is often quite diverse in terms of personalities and interests. “You are working closely with people. At first, you don’t know their context, and then you come to understand their approach.”

Everyone has a story, she added, and, in addition to repairing and rebuilding homes, she enjoys swapping stories and simply learning about people.

“The kids say we’re at the ‘go-go’ stage of life,” said Eleanor. “That’s better than ‘slow-go’ or ‘no-go!’ ”