For some, retirement means heading to the nearest golf course. But for Bill Beck, it meant “looking for an outlet for my free time that would benefit others.” He found that outlet at the White Rock Center of Hope, where he volunteers several hours each week.

Recently, Beck was honored as a 1991 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for his work at the Center of Hope, the Easter Seal Society for Children, and Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church.

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Beck, a Mobil Oil employee for 38 years, retired in 1988 and began volunteering for the Center of Hope, an ecumenical food bank organized and run by volunteers from 30 area churches. Beck lends a hand in almost every area of the center’s operation, spending time stocking food, soliciting canned good donations, and filling and delivering grocery orders for the food pantry.

“There is nothing he cannot do, nothing he will not do,” said Donagene Christian, the center’s former executive director.

Since being founded as a food pantry three years ago, the center has grown to sponsor a clothes closet and a financial aid program. A job placement program also is being planned.

Because of the expansion, the center needs volunteers for the food pantry and the clothes closet. Hours are flexible; men are needed Thursdays and Fridays to help with lifting and carrying.

For more information, call executive director Debbie Batson at 324-8996.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Volunteer Center is a United Way agency serves as a clearinghouse to recruit and refer volunteers for more than 750 Dallas agencies. Thousands of volunteer positions are waiting to be filled. For more information, contact the Volunteer Center at 826-6767. Some examples of current volunteer opportunities follow.

Would You Like To Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect? Opportunities exist with an East Dallas organization dedicated to the detection and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The agency works in conjunction with the Texas Department of Human Services to provide one-on-one counseling for families at risk of child abuse. Volunteers also are needed for community education, the speaker’s bureau, information referral and crisis counseling. Hours are flexible and an extensive training program will be held in September.

Do You Enjoy Spending Time With Small Children? Join this East Dallas developmental child-care facility, which needs weekday teacher aides. You can read stories, hold and feed infants, or coordinate a creative art or cooking activity for children ages 3-5. Volunteers also can teach Spanish or sign language.