Local volunteers get a special 'thank you'
Hoover, Gilbert claim Junior League awards
By Shari Kaplan
In keeping with April being National Volunteer Month, the Junior League of San Jose has recognized 17 volunteers in the South Bay for their community service work over the past year. Among them are two Los Gatos residents, Donald "Don" Gilbert and Bobbi Hoover.
Hoover has volunteered with Hospice of the Valley for three years; for 17 years before that, she volunteered at The Centre for Living With Dying. Combining her master's degree in marriage and family counseling, her years of experience as a volunteer counselor before the degree and her intuitive and empathetic nature, Hoover's main job with Hospice of the Valley is to support families going through the first 13 months of bereavement.
When patients receiving hospice care die, Hoover sends their families personal notes and follows up with phone calls a bit later. If and when the families wish to meet with her and participate in the hospice's bereavement program--she never imposes herself--Hoover takes care of the rest.
"It might sound 'schmaltzy,' but I think we're all here in life to make the world infinitesimally better," she says, smiling. Her motivation to help people is inspired by the fact that she didn't receive help when she needed it herself.
"When I was 10, my grandmother was dying. I was sent away for about two weeks while she died," Hoover says of the woman she considered her favorite relative. "When I came back, my mother said: 'Your grandmother is dead.' That was all the grieving I got to do."
"For years after that, I couldn't talk about my grandmother without crying. It took counseling to come to terms with that grief," she adds.
Hoover also lends her counseling expertise to the Bay Area Breast Cancer Network and a widows' support group that meets at the Los Gatos United Methodist Church. A collector of hourglasses of all styles and sizes, Hoover says they remind her of an important metaphor for life.
"I know how much sand I have in the bottom of my glass, but I don't know how much I have in the top--it could be two days or 20 years," the 70-year-old says. "I want to keep moving, live in the present and enjoy every day!"
Raised in Auburn with a stepfather who was chief of the area's volunteer fire department, Gilbert got involved with the department of forestry after high school. He later began volunteering with his stepfather's department. "In many small towns and rural areas, there's a lot more community spirit than in big cities. There's usually a waiting list," he says.
For 11 years, he was a volunteer firefighter with the Santa Clara County Fire District at the Shannon Station in Los Gatos. He is now an active member of the Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley, a volunteer group that provides support at fires classified as two-alarm or greater.
Alerted by the same dispatchers who send city or county fire departments into action, FASCV members drive Fire Support Units to fire scenes and set up canteens to provide beverages, snacks and meals to firefighters battling a blaze. Gilbert estimates the group responds to 60 to 70 calls per year.
Recently, Gilbert worked with the San Jose Fire Department to obtain a four-wheel drive, off-road vehicle that he converted into another canteen by installing a generator, two-way radio, floodlights, drinking water tank and pump, electrical outlets, coffeepots and cabinets. The knowledge gained during years as a heavy equipment mechanic for Santa Clara County came in handy for this project, he adds.
Gilbert says it's hard to explain why he feels so drawn to the fields in which he volunteers. "There's a lot of camaraderie in the fire service. Also, I like being able to help people in the community," he says.
Gilbert, Hoover and 15 other individuals will be honored at the Junior League's 33rd annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on April 19 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose. Cost is $18 per person for non-honorees. All honorees will also receive crystal bowls crafted by Tiffany & Co. For more information about the Junior League, call 408.264.5917 or 408.264.3058, or visit www.jlsj.org on the Internet.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
