After Hurricane Sandy, Ken Nygard wanted to help. “I’ve been trying to become more involved in volunteer work, and I knew that the need was great,” he said. “Since I’ve retired, I’ve also been looking for ways to meet new people.”
Ken saw an opportunity to volunteer with Lutheran Disaster Response, Eastern Pa. in his church bulletin, and decided to participate. “I worked for the Boy Scouts in the camping department, so my entire career was working with volunteers,” he said. “For once it was nice to be a volunteer myself.”
Ken joined more than 50 volunteers who cleaned up several properties in Bucks and Montgomery Counties on December 15. “Everyone that volunteered really wanted to be there and wanted to help. It was hard work, but everyone pitched in,” he said.
“I enjoyed connecting with other people who wanted to do good. It seems to me that in this society we need more people who do good for others, Ken said, “I was really impressed at how many different volunteer groups were there, and how well coordinated everything was. Everyone was working together for a common cause.”
One of the homes that Ken helped to clean up was a couple with three children who had 14 large trees that had fallen in their yard. “The husband had already put in a lot of work, but it was just more than one person could do,” Ken said. “They were very thankful to us.”
Ken is looking forward to participating in future volunteer opportunities with Lutheran Disaster Response. “It was a very rewarding experience,” he said. “I felt like I was a part of a solution.”
