Volunteering’s a passion for Red Oak’s Lester
A recent retirement in 2016 hasn’t slowed down Jeanice Lester from being an active participant in the Red Oak community.
Lester and her husband, Will, moved to Red Oak in 1978 after Will accepted the position of market manager with Hy-Vee, where he worked for 38 years and a total of 44 years with the company, while Lester became employed with the Red Oak Community School District for 28 years, most of them as the district’s accounting clerk. The couple met in south central Iowa.
“Will and I met in our hometown of Centerville. I worked in my high school days at the Double R which was comparable to a Dairy Queen. Will always came down during his lunch break and had a tenderloin and a cherry slush. The rest as they say, is history,” Lester explained
The couple has three sons who graduated from the Red Oak Community School District. Jason, his wife June, and their children, Hannah and Jack, live in Cedar Rapids. Clint, wife Jen, and daughter Norah live in a suburb of Milwaukee. Andy and his wife Calli live in Waukee. Grandchildren, Lester said, are such a bonus to life.
In between working and raising her family, Lester said she soon became active volunteering in the community.
“I started volunteering when my children were in elementary school. I believe the first big task was heading up the census for Red Oak as a fundraiser for PTO. Back then I had my first introduction to a computer, a dinosaur to say the least. From there volunteering seemed to grow. I have chaired several organizations and been a member of many. PTO, The Wilson, Friends of the Trails, YMCA, and my church choir, just to name a few,” Lester said. “Will always felt he did not need to be a registered member of any volunteer group because wherever I landed he was automatically enlisted as a volunteer. He spends many hours helping me. Currently, the Red Oak Grand Theatre consumes most of my volunteer hours between loading the movies, being on the board, helping with the day-to-day tasks that insure the theater runs smoothly, and being an active member of the “Expand the Grand” project. Once again, Will helps me behind the scenes so much. We could not contribute the hours if we were working fulltime. That being said, because we are retired we are happy to give those hours. It seems whenever someone needs help for an event or activity we are there willing to help.”
Being an active member in so many community organizations, Lester said, is its own reward.
“We love living in Red Oak, and being a part of the community is to be able to give back to it when needed. Will and I are able to do just that and enjoy making life a little more enjoyable by doing our part,” Lester explained.
In addition to serving as a volunteer, Lester also serves as a member of the Red Oak City Council, a position she ran for following the advice of a friend.
“They inquired if I had any interest in serving on the city council. As I thought about it, I felt I could be a council member who listened and made good choices for the city. I truly believe in not having an agenda for any position anyone might want to tackle. Just do the best you can, make the best decision for the good of the city and move forward. Progress does not happen overnight. Being on city council does extend into those extra hours I have mentioned before. Because of being on the city council I have other committees that I am involved with. I have learned a lot and feel I continue to grow as a city council member,” commented Lester.
When not volunteering or serving as a public official, Lester said she and husband Will are free to enjoy one of their other favorite pastimes, traveling.
“We enjoy traveling to see our families. COVID-19 has hampered our freedom to roam as we were used to but we are starting to spread our wings cautiously as summer is upon us. The Lester family is planning a socially appropriate long weekend together this summer. We have missed being together. Will loves to fish in this warmer weather and we both can always find projects to do. We enjoy the outdoors. Our big yard and driveway has enabled us to have friends stop by. We have enjoyed seeing humans in the flesh! I continue to get up and run most mornings for exercise. Exercise is important for both of us,” said Lester.
In addition to visiting family, Lester said they have also been branching out to locations across the U.S.
“When Will and I retired on 2016 our gift to ourselves the following summer was an Alaskan cruise with friends. We spent time on the ship and on land. This trip was so amazing and a must if you are even remotely thinking about it. We always try to go somewhere every year in the United States that we have not seen or been to before. Each area we have visited has so much to see. One thing we knew but are always reminded of is wherever you go – someone knows someone who might know you. If you wear an Iowa shirt of any kind you are guaranteed to have someone come your direction and ask what part of Iowa you’re from,’” Lester said.
In addition to affecting travel, Lester said the COVID-19 pandemic this year also had an adverse effect on her time volunteering.
“COVID-19 did slow things down or even come to a complete stop for several months. It seems like we did not meet or had meetings on Zoom. Now that we seem to be moving back to a somewhat normal lifestyle – or a newer normal lifestyle we are trying to be very aware of keeping our patrons and fellow members safe. We are following any suggestions that are recommended to ensure just that,” Lester advised.
While things slowly get back to normal, Lester said her current days are full with the organizations she’s a part of.
“I promised Will I would not volunteer for anything extra until we got a feel for what our retired life would look like. Who knew the Red Oak Grand Theater would take so much of that time? We both love the Grand and enjoy our time there. We will probably always continue to volunteer and at this point do not know what area we will help in.”
Lester said she and her husband are very happy they made the decision to move to the community all those years ago.
“Red Oak is a great town and is home to us. Our sons had a wonderful childhood and a great education, which enabled them to become the adults they are today. Red Oak has so many success stories.”