Carlton County Volunteer Highlight

You can fake a lot of things in life, but you can't fake showing up - for yourself or for others. "Showing up" is not a matter of being, it is a matter of doing.

Volunteer Rick Ramey knows what it means to show up, noting that he has volunteered for as long as he can remember. When asked why, he simply replies, "It's just part of who I am."

When Ramey and his wife moved to Carlton County, he began volunteering as a tutor in the Moose Lake schools and as a Medicare counselor. More recently, he was instrumental in the development of the butterfly gardens at Generations Park in Moose Lake as part of the intergenerational AGE to Age program, and is now fondly known as the "butterfly guy." He says it was fun turning a hobby into building relationships with community members and creating something beautiful in the community. In particular, seeing the children's sense of wonder come alive was very rewarding.

Ramey has also been a volunteer driver for the past 10 years. Currently, he drives several days a week, primarily taking older adults to their medical appointments. He loves meeting and getting to know his riders, and knowing he is making their lives a little better by helping them to continue living independently.

Ramey has also volunteered with various food pantries, meal delivery, the DayBreak respite program, the Council on Aging and at DAV events, as well as volunteering with his church.

Ramey is engaged with listening ears, eyes that see, and a heart centered on serving others.

Thank you, Rick, for showing up and for being genuine. Thank you for being you.

Cathy Niemi is the director of Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. Contact her at 218-879-9238.