Vern and Donna Brown have been retired since 1998, but they’re still active in the community. The Browns live on a farm just outside of Yorkton.
Their volunteer work began with their kids, Donna explained, picking up things where their kids were interested. As their kids grew up, the Browns began volunteering in things that they found personally important. Donna primarily works within the Westview United Church now, though she was also active on the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, including being the president of the chamber in 1990. Vern also works with the church, but volunteers with the Yorkton Lions as well as the Yorkton Brick Mill Heritage Society. Their farmland is rented out to the Yorkton Terriers to farm for a fundraiser.
“It’s pretty easy for them to deal with,” Donna said.
Living on a farm in their retirement, the Browns have plenty to do, with a big yard to take care of and a large garden to grow.
“I can mow grass here half the week,” Vern joked.
While she’s 79, Donna said that she thinks of her grandmother, who she asked if she felt she was 90, and her grandmother replied that she didn’t. She feels she understands her grandmother now.
“I do not feel as old as I am and I really don’t worry about my age. That’s not too important. It’s just doing what we can do to help. I don’t like sitting in a lawn chair in the sun so I have to find things to do!”
Donna explained that she volunteers in the community because she can, and that she knows that there is a need there.
“If we can help somebody and make their life a little bit better, that’s a good thing. There are lots of people who need help, in whatever way you can possibly do it, with money or with work or however you can do it.”
Vern agrees that it’s something they can do, so they should. He said it’s something they both learned from their parents, the value of contributing to the community around you.
“Volunteering doesn’t cost you a lot, but it doesn’t pay very well. But the satisfaction’s good.”
It’s also a good way to become part of the community. Donna noted that many of their friends through the years are people they met through volunteer work.
“If we chose to stay at home, we would become pretty dried up pretty soon, not making contacts with anyone.”
Their son, Ward, continues to work in the family business, now known as Brown’s Leisure World. Their daughter also teaches in the high school, while their third child lives in Saskatoon. Having two kids stay close to home is a testament to the quality of the city, Donna said.
“That says quite a bit about Yorkton, that some of the kids do stick around. It’s not known as a place where there are a lot of young people, it’s mostly older people, but I think it testifies to the type of community it is. It’s a good community to raise children in, certainly.”
Donna also believes that it’s up to people to get out and be active in the city in order to make it a better place to live, whether they are seniors or they are young.
“Some people think there’s not enough to do, but I think that’s up to the individual.”
