THIS MONTH'S RSVP VOLUNTEER PROFILE
(Text by Pete Porter; photo by Margaret Porter)

Each month we will be interviewing one of our many volunteers to get an idea of the things that attract them to this type of community involvement.

This month's special volunteer is Michiye Takeyama at the Gardena Police Department.

1. Why did you decide to become a Volunteer?

My husband passed away in 1990. I found myself at loose ends and didn't know what to do - that's one of the reasons why.

2. What does volunteering do for you?

It gives me all kinds of positive things to help my attitude, mental well-being etc. I'm not depressed and it was important for me to get out of the home. At the same time, I'm doing something important for the department.

3. How long have you been a volunteer?

I had been at LAX for eleven years and I came here a year and a half ago. Before I sarted here I told them that I still had to have one more surgery but I came here four weeks out of post-op and have been here ever since. After those eleven years at LAX I was ill for three years and had many surgeries during that time. Just before I had my last surgery my son told me that I really needed to get out of the house and do something productive. He had heard that the Gardena Police Department needed volunteers and said that he would go there with me. He brought me to the classes that were held right in this room and when I had finished the five week course I was ready to sign up for the work I do now. Funnily enough, my son isn't coming here any more - but I certainly am!

4. Have you made any good friends from this job?

Oh, yes!!! Virginia Burgos the volunteer director at the Gardena P.D. has been wonderful. All the department heads have things waiting for me when I come in on Tuesday. That suits me fine as I like to keep busy or I get disinterested. I also like to be around other people. It gives me someone to talk to.

How has this changed your life?

It's kept me active. I drive everywhere and it really keeps me going.

5. Where do you currently volunteer?

As well as the one day a week that I put in at the Gardena Police Department, I also work two days a week as a Travellers Aid for American Airlines at Terminal 4. I get to meet all the visitors from Out-of-State when they arrive. They come from New York and many other places from all over the country. I ask them where they want to go during their time in Los Angeles and they invariably say, "Las Vegas, West Hollywood, Magic Mountain" etc. I tell them the best way to get to these places. You can see just by looking at some of them that they cannot take a taxi or pay for a shuttle. All the young people are easy to pick out with their back-packs and you can assess the situation straight away and tell them the cheapest way for them to get to where they want to go.

6. What would you say to anyone who thinks they are too busy to volunteer?

I would tell them that they are wrong thinking that way. Everybody should spend some time to find out what they can do. I think that volunteering is not just satisfying for me, but it helps the community and I like the fact that I'm being useful in some small way. That's why I like to be kept busy when I am volunteering. I recommend that everybody, especially Senior Citizens, should be a volunteer of some kind.

To give you some idea of Michiye's spirit, she went on to tell me a little of her history before putting in her time as a volunteer. Michiye informed me that she had a scholarship at the age of 16 to go to John Hopkins. However, because of the war she ended up in one of the Internment camps and wasn't able to go. She worked in the camp hospital for two years as a Nurses Aid until she was selected along with four other nurses to work outside the camp as a member of the Cadet Nurses Corps. After the war, Michiye worked as a surgery nurse at USC from 1948 to 1954. She then spent seven years at Crenshaw Medical Center as Surgery Supervisor after which she "thought" that she had retired. However, Michiye then received a scholarship from District 9 of the Medical Association Auxilliary (an organization set up by doctors wives) and ended up going back to school to earn a Bachelors Degree!
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