Village resident receives volunteer award

  • Published
  • By Cathy S. Landroche
  • Air Force Enlisted Village
SHALIMAR, Fla. (AFPN) --  When people make it to 81 years, they may be tempted to take it easy. But for one resident of the Air Force Enlisted Village here, kicking back is the last thing she wants.

Instead, Dian Haynes has made volunteerism her call to duty, and she recently was recognized by the Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging as the FAHSA Volunteer of the Year.

Mrs. Haynes moved to the Air Force Enlisted Village in 2005 after experiencing six deaths in her family, including her husband, within a very short time period. A friend in Pennsylvania suggested Mrs. Haynes move to the Village in Shalimar, Fla., to get away from the grief she was experiencing.

Good fortune was on her side and an open apartment was available almost immediately after contacting the admissions administrator.

Once she arrived at her new home, Mrs. Haynes got involved by volunteering as a receptionist. Then the maintenance superintendent came by with a flyer requesting volunteers in his shop.

Mrs. Haynes went to the maintenance department the next day and asked what needed to be done. She shooed all the men out of the office and set to work cleaning and scrubbing the area. Then she came back every week to answer the phones and general assistance -- June 1 marked three years of volunteering 40 hours of her time weekly. 

"God has blessed me. Working in maintenance saved my life," she said.

The multiple family deaths had left her depressed. She said that the maintenance technicians never treated her like "just" a volunteer, but like a regular employee, keeping her up to date on all the staff meetings and everything that needed to be done.
Mrs. Haynes is just what the maintenance department needed, said James C. Binnicker, Air Force Enlisted Village president and chief executive officer.

"By taking the calls, she frees up the five technicians to do their jobs, rather than being bogged down answering phones," Mr. Binnicker said. "Her voice is the first one a resident hears when they need something fixed, and Dian's voice always has a smile."
Andrew Crispin, the maintenance superintendent, said Mrs. Haynes brings a special perspective to the job.

"She's a caring individual who lives here herself and knows the apartment layouts personally," Crispin said. "She also understands the lingo of our average resident -- 'the thing-a-ma-bob in my sink is broken' -- and can decipher that information into a recognizable work order for the technicians."

Mrs. Haynes said she knows that some residents call with minor problems they could easily fix themselves, but are just lonely and need someone to talk to. But that doesn't bother her, she takes the time to listen and help no matter what the situation.

According to her friends and neighbors, Mrs. Haynes gives 100 percent all the time, even when she may not be physically up to snuff. "She's so dedicated to the maintenance department," said one neighbor, "you'd think she was making $500 a week instead of volunteering."

People compliment her efficiency in her day-to-day duties, keeping all the maintenance orders in line and letting the technicians know of emergencies that need to be attended to promptly.

"The amount of savings that Dian has contributed to the AFEV by volunteering her time, 40 hours a week for the past three years is approximately $60,000," Mr. Binnicker said.
"We're so proud of Dian," he said. "And we're blessed to have her here. No one deserves the FAHSA award more."

Air Force Enlisted Village is a non-profit charity that provides a home for the surviving spouses of enlisted Airmen, and is one of the four official charities of the Air Force. For more information, see their web site at www.afenlistedwidows.org or call 1-800-258-1413.

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