COSHOCTON –Volunteering gives Roscoe Village landscape volunteer, Elaine Belko, an opportunity to serve and learn.
Belko began volunteering for Roscoe this past summer and said, as a native of Chicago, she is a novice gardener.
“I don’t know a whole lot about gardening, but I’ve always had a love for it,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing a service and at the same time learning a lot on my own.”
Belko has spent about eight hours since June 2011 digging and potting hydrangeas in the Buckeye Garden, dividing hostas and weeding.
“I get the satisfaction of beautifying the grounds for visitors and keeping them nice,” she said. “I love the gardens at Roscoe village, and I always wondered how hard it was to maintain them — and now I know.”
Belko said she is putting what she has been learning to use on her own four acres of land.
“I’m also getting to meet new people — getting to meet more volunteers at the village,” she said.
Belko sold raffle tickets for the Apple Butter festival in fall 2011 and the Cruise-In this spring. She also participated in a hands-on craft event for children at the village around Christmas time.
Volunteering has been a part of Belko’s life for many years. While living in Chicago, Belko spent 15 years volunteering every Thursday at a soup kitchen. She also volunteered at the overnight shelter, which was affiliated with the soup kitchen.
“I used to go once a week, spend the night and pass out blankets and coffee and pillows and stuff.”
Belko said both her and her husband have volunteering in their blood.
“Volunteer work holds a special place in our hearts,” Belko said. “That’s where I met my husband.”
While volunteering at the soup kitchen, Belko met fellow volunteer, Tom Belko. “I worked there for 15 years and one day he appeared there as a volunteer and we were married within a year.”
The couple will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary July 4.
The couple wanted to move to the country and made their home in Warsaw 15 years ago. Tom works as a clinical laboratory scientist at Coshocton Hospital, and Belko teaches Spanish and art at Bishop Fenwick School in Zanesville.
“I’ve got two more years before retirement so I’m looking forward to doing a lot more volunteer work once I do that,” Belko said.
In the future, Belko said she would like to volunteer for Friends of the Library and Clary Gardens and would love to take on one of the costumed interpreter roles at Roscoe.
Belko’s husband, Tom, also has volunteered in Coshocton through Habitat for Humanity and went to New Orleans with a group from St. Peter’s Church in Millersburg after the hurricanes to help rebuild.
“I’ve been so blessed with so many blessings,” she said. “Just being able to feel like I am giving back, sharing some of my blessings with others. I find that particularly rewarding.”
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