Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles profiling winners of the Celebration of Giving awards presented by Shawano Area Community Foundation Inc. for outstanding volunteerism. The winners will be honored at a gala Tuesday.
Cathy La Shua isn’t one to stay idle, even in retirement.
“I need to have some activity,” she said. “I need to interact with people. It’s what I love to do.”
After finding herself “suddenly retired,” La Shua thought about St. Paul Lutheran School, which was just down the street from her, and thought there might be an opportunity to volunteer some of her time.
She began reading with students at the school, spending 1.5 hours three times a week assisting students in the fifth and sixth grades with their reading, helping them select books for their abilities and interests, reading out loud to them and helping with their reading comprehension.
La Shua doesn’t really consider it giving of herself.
“They’re giving me so much more than I’m giving them,” she said.
St. Paul was just the start.
La Shua’s next stop was the Bonduel Community Archives, where more volunteer work followed.
She has since taken over some of the writing and editing of the Historian, the archive’s newsletter; is membership chairman in charge of keeping mailing labels current; enters vital statistics of Bonduel churches into computers, making them available to researchers; enters historic photos into the archive’s electronic database; and is copying and filing articles from the Bonduel Times, the local paper that started in 1909 and closed down in 1972.
“Learning the history of different people and people who have been pioneers in this area, and preserving all of that, that’s just something I’m so proud of,” La Shua said.
Her volunteer time at the archives totaled 325 hours last year.
That includes her time doing archive fundraisers, such as baking for the bake sale and pie social, cooking chili for Founders Day and helping with the Cemetery Walk.
But La Shua still had some free time on her hands, and since her husband, John, is president of SOS (Supporters of Shawano) K9 Inc., it was only natural that she’d get involved there as well.
The group raises money for the Shawano County K9 unit. Expenses have included the purchase of a dog, training for the dog and handler, outfitting vehicles for transport while on duty, equipment, housing, food and veterinary bills.
All of it is paid through various fundraisers.
“They rely solely on what we can raise,” La Shua said. “Shawano County needs those canines and their handlers for all the good they do for all the county residents.”
La Shua maintains a log of all money donated to SOS and personally hand writes all thank you cards to various individuals and businesses that have donated.
La Shua’s efforts to keep from being idle have won her this year’s Bonduel Community Service Award and $1,000 from the Shawano Area Community Foundation.
She was nominated by last year’s winner, Beverly Fink, who also volunteers for the archive.
“I’m very honored to be recognized for something that I love doing,” La Shua said. “It means a lot to me.”
La Shua said she will split her $1,000 prize between the archive and SOS K9 Inc.
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