April showers brings need for more volunteer hours
Not only does the month of April bring May flowers, it also marks National Volunteer Appreciation Month, a tradition dating back to 1974 celebrating a growing community of volunteers.
In Sussex County, the need for volunteers is urgent. As more people migrate to the beaches of Delaware, volunteers are needed to help elderly citizens age in their homes along the coastline.
In 2025 alone, Village Volunteers delivered 7,845 services to 280 members in eastern Sussex County, contributing 18,464 hours and driving more than 143,000 miles to assist with transportation, errands and companionship. The group’s mission is to help adults maintain independence and avoid isolation.
By envisioning a community where older adults thrive, Village Volunteers strives to honor its four core values: compassion (a genuine desire to help others), integrity (honesty and transparency to earn trust), dignity (respect and inclusion) and community (promoting collaboration with neighbors, volunteers, staff and more).
Volunteers were recognized for their hard work April 15, at the Atlantic Sands Conference Center in Rehoboth Beach. Members who earned the highest amount of overall service hours for 2025 were recognized: David Heald with 426 hours, Mike Sade with 814 hours, Ketty Bennett with 814, Suzanne Hain with 558 and Deb Dobransky with 1,177 hours.
Sade is heavily involved, providing service in many ways. Growing up with his grandmothers and having parents in a similar position of needing assistance, Sade said he was motivated to dedicate his spare time to volunteering, and having the opportunity to listen to wonderful stories.
He shared a story about a time he helped a 95-year-old man. On their way to the grocery store, the man explained, “I’m planning for the future.” In admiration, Sade said, “At 95 years old, this man is still active and planning for his future. I want to be like Bill.”
Debbie Isser is an avid runner and an ambassador for Races2Run in the summer. She offers to pace people at local 5Ks and at bigger running events like the Coastal Delaware Running Festival. Earlier this month, she paced a 2:15 half-marathon. Isser uses her passion for running to be inclusive toward all athletes in the running community, pushing others toward their goals one step at a time.
“I run with a blind guy who loves to run … he needs someone to run with him,” she said. “Last summer, our goal was to get him under a 30-minute 5K. I ran a number of races with him and we got to achieve our goal together.”
Paul Montgomery has been a part of Village Volunteers for the past five years, averaging 400 hours per year. Several days a week, he drives for Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers food to nearly 300 people in Lewes and Rehoboth.
He hopes more people from younger generations will do community service.
“There are lots of volunteer opportunities for younger people if you just go out and look,” he said. “I think it exposes kids to opportunities and helps them see things they don’t see every day.”
Volunteer Hilde Perlstein agreed.
“I think it’s a way to pay forward,” she said. “We are all going to age, so if we have the time to help out, that’s what we should all do.”
Jennifer Heald, development chair of Village Volunteers, urges people of all ages to help.
“It’s just spending an hour of time to totally make someone’s day,” she said.
Village Volunteers offers a user-friendly system for first-time volunteers. With several different ways to help, such as friendly visits, household support, handyperson services, errand support, tech help, friendly check-ins, transportation or Village office assistance, it is easy to lend a helping hand.
