Women on the move
GABE LICHT
Delano Herald Journal Editor
Jeanie Pilarski and Gail Sinkel may be retired, but that
doesn’t mean their calendars are empty.
“For 30 years, I lived and loved my job,” said Sinkel,
who retired as director of the Delano Senior Center in
2014. “Now, I get to live and love my life and what dif-
ferent things I get to appreciate, take advantage of, that I
couldn’t do when I was thinking or working at work 12
hours a day.”
Sinkel sings in her church choir, serves on the St. Maxi-
milian Kolbe Church Council and on the Delano Com-
munity Education Board, assists at the Senior Center
as needed, and helps care for her grandson three days a
week.
She also spends fi ve to six hours each Monday help-
ing her daughter, who is a third-grade teacher at Delano
Elementary School.
“Yes, it is a big commitment, but I love it,” Sinkel said.
“You have that on your calendar and plan your week
around it,” Pilarski said. “It’s like Thursdays for me. I
don’t commit to anything on Thursdays unless it’s some-
thing for my family.”
Pilarski’s Thursdays are spent operating the Helping
Hands Food Shelf in Delano.
She is also active in the General Federated Womens
Club of Delano, Friends of the Delano Library, Delano
American Legion Auxiliary, Delano Relay For Life, and
church choir, in addition to family duties such as babysit-
ting grandchildren.
Pilarski has been fi nding her volunteering niche since
retiring from her full-time position in the Delano Public
Schools activities offi ce in 2006.
“You try things. If it doesn’t fi t, you step away from it,”
Pilarski said. “You can’t do that with a job.”
“You have more choices,” Sinkel added. “That’s what
Baby Boomers need. They need that time to kind of try
things and, if it doesn’t work, you have the opportunity to
try something else.”
Sinkel took some time to determine what kind of vol-
unteering she would like to do.
“As a newly retired Boomer, it takes a while to fi nd
your niche,” Sinkel said. “Sometimes, you have to step
Jeanie Pilarski, and Gail Sinkel, laugh as they compare notes about their busy schedules. Both women are retired and
active volunteers in and around Delano.
back and say, ‘Do I really want to do this?’ Everyone said,
‘Gail Sinkel just retired. She can do this.’ It was a time for
me to say, ‘I need to step back for a minute and see what
I really want to get involved with, rather than saying yes
to everything.’”
Finding the joy in volunteering is important to both
women.
“Everything you do should give you satisfaction,” Pila-
rski said. “When you’re done, you feel good. Otherwise,
you should quit.”
“There are other people who might be better at that par-
ticular job,” Sinkel added.
Senior Connections HJ.COM
Senior
PHOTO BY GABE LICHT
Pilarski learned about being involved in the local com-
munity from her parents.
“My folks were in the Depression,” Pilarski said. “They
didn’t have a lot, and yet they volunteered and wanted to
help others.”
She has found volunteerism as a good way to get to
know others.
“When you start working with someone, you may not
know them, but you often become a friend with them,”
Pilarski said. “I’ve met more people by putting myself out
there. You can’t wait for someone to knock on your door.
You have to put yourself out there, even if it’s to walk into
a meeting or a gathering.”
“For some people, it’s hard to walk into a situation like
that,” Sinkel said.
But, for those who do, there is plenty to do in Delano.
“I’ve often said, if you’re bored in this town it’s your
own choice, because there are so many opportunities and
needs in this community that you could become involved
in,” Sinkel said.
She believes fellow Baby Boomers are actively seeking
such opportunities, and she encourages them to do so.
“You have to make the most of every day and every
year because you don’t know what’s beyond that,” Sinkel
said.
Connections December 2018
13