Vern and Donna Brown have been retired since 1998, but they鈥檙e still active in the community. The Browns live on a farm just outside of Yorkton.
Their volunteer work began with their kids, Donna explained, picking up things where their kids were interested. As their kids grew up, the Browns began volunteering in things that they found personally important. Donna primarily works within the Westview United Church now, though she was also active on the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, including being the president of the chamber in 1990. Vern also works with the church, but volunteers with the Yorkton Lions as well as the Yorkton Brick Mill Heritage Society. Their farmland is rented out to the Yorkton Terriers to farm for a fundraiser.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty easy for them to deal with,鈥� Donna said.
Living on a farm in their retirement, the Browns have plenty to do, with a big yard to take care of and a large garden to grow.聽
鈥淚 can mow grass here half the week,鈥� Vern joked.
While she鈥檚 79, Donna said that she thinks of her grandmother, who she asked if she felt she was 90, and her grandmother replied that she didn鈥檛. She feels she understands her grandmother now.
鈥淚 do not feel as old as I am and I really don鈥檛 worry about my age. That鈥檚 not too important. It鈥檚 just doing what we can do to help. I don鈥檛 like sitting in a lawn chair in the sun so I have to find things to do!鈥�
Donna explained that she volunteers in the community because she can, and that she knows that there is a need there.
鈥淚f we can help somebody and make their life a little bit better, that鈥檚 a good thing. There are lots of people who need help, in whatever way you can possibly do it, with money or with work or however you can do it.鈥�
Vern agrees that it鈥檚 something they can do, so they should. He said it鈥檚 something they both learned from their parents, the value of contributing to the community around you.
鈥淰olunteering doesn鈥檛 cost you a lot, but it doesn鈥檛 pay very well. But the satisfaction鈥檚 good.鈥�
It鈥檚 also a good way to become part of the community. Donna noted that many of their friends through the years are people they met through volunteer work.聽
鈥淚f we chose to stay at home, we would become pretty dried up pretty soon, not making contacts with anyone.鈥�
Their son, Ward, continues to work in the family business, now known as Brown鈥檚 Leisure World. Their daughter also teaches in the high school, while their third child lives in Saskatoon. Having two kids stay close to home is a testament to the quality of the city, Donna said.
鈥淭hat says quite a bit about Yorkton, that some of the kids do stick around. It鈥檚 not known as a place where there are a lot of young people, it鈥檚 mostly older people, but I think it testifies to the type of community it is. It鈥檚 a good community to raise children in, certainly.鈥�
Donna also believes that it鈥檚 up to people to get out and be active in the city in order to make it a better place to live, whether they are seniors or they are young.
鈥淪ome people think there鈥檚 not enough to do, but I think that鈥檚 up to the individual.鈥澛�
