Since retiring, Marlene Brath does a lot of volunteering.
She was born and raised in Shawano, graduating from Shawano High School.
Brath worked at the former Midwest Breeders for six years, Shawano school system for 19 years and as clerk/treasurer for the city of Shawano for 20 years. She retired in 2011.
Brath and her husband, Steve, who works part time at Shawano Medical Center, have been married 31 years. They have three children and two grandchildren and live in Shawano.
Brath spends time serving Peace United Church of Christ. She enjoys scrapbooking, genealogy and hunting, and has monthly luncheons with high school classmates.
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Q Where do you volunteer and what do you do for each?
A “I enjoy the Shawano Woman’s Club. We meet monthly and select annual projects that strive to make a difference in our community. Very much in line with their purpose, the club’s October project is Make A Difference Day on Oct. 25. The club members volunteer to select a nursing home, assisted living or hospital. They visit and share a gift of flowers. Last year four locations were visited by volunteers trying to make a difference for several residents in our local area.
“In 1994, a group of dedicated volunteers from across Shawano County and the Menominee and Stockbridge Indian Reservations decided to preserve their part of the logging and timber heritage of Wisconsin. I became a member of that group naming themselves From the Pineries to the Present. Over the years the Pineries have located and erected interpretative signs highlighting historical development in our area. They are outlined in a full-colored map that includes historical attractions and points of interest in Shawano and Menominee counties and available at the Shawano chamber office.
“The Friends of the Shawano Library has been another interest for the past 20 years. Anyone can join and help by doing shelf reading, cleaning DVDs, assisting with events, helping with the annual book sale and basket sale, or maybe even serve on the Friends board.
“For the Shawano County Historical Society, I enter computer data and am a docent. Spending time listening to president, Paul Winter, and the other wonderful volunteers talk about their personal reasons for preserving and sharing our local history is a real treat.
“Women in the Outdoors Little Wolf Gobblers Chapter offers a women’s rustic winter getaway every March. I never return home without having learned something new and having met a new person. Not only is it fun getting together with warm friends, it helps shorten the cold winter.”
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Q Why do you volunteer?
A “Being part of reaching each group’s goal and benefiting the community is rewarding, but the real payoff is the opportunity to be with other volunteers who become lifelong friends. I can truly say volunteering has become a highlight of my retirement experience. It’s a healthy way to spend time. We all know what happens to a workload when everyone pitches in.”
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