Volunteer Par Excellence: Ruth Buneman

Editor's Note: The 29th Annual Joint Community Service Volunteer Awards gave public and lavish recognition for nine individuals who were chosen from scores of nominations. The strong ethos of volunteerism in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills is what many credit as the thing that makes the communities so strong.

 isn't adequate for nine people who have quietly made big contributions over years. So, throughout the coming days, we are reprinting the text from the introductions made for each individual at the Dec. 2, 2011 awards event.

The Terraces Executive director Rae Holt introduced Ruth Buneman in his text below.

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What do you get when you combine a love for the out-of-doors, a passion for health and wellness, and a commitment to education?

You get our next volunteer service award winner.

As a six-year resident at The Terraces at Los Altos retirement community, this awardee served as volunteer chairperson of the Healthy Living committee, and was one of only three key leaders, and the only resident, who launched our Masterpiece Living initiative on successful aging.

She has continued to be a champion for health and wellness among our residents, promoting Masterpiece Living’s emphasis on whole person well-being in these four dimensions of life: physical, social, intellectual and spiritual.

For the past two years, she has served as President of the Resident Council. In this capacity, she has encouraged the volunteer participation of all of our residents to serve on various committees that enhance the lifestyle of our residents, such as the library committee, the food committee, the conservation committee, and the activity committee.

As President, she is also the representative of the residents on the local Advisory Board of the retirement community, and on the local committee for the ABHOW Foundation, which provides funding for benevolent care for residents who have outlived their financial resources.

In addition to her volunteer work at The Terraces, she serves as a docent for both Hidden Villa and for Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. She began both of these volunteer commitments in 1987, shortly after her retirement, so she has served both organizations for over 20 years. Both organizations provide opportunity for her to combine her love for the out-of-doors, with her love for learning.

She delights in passing on her knowledge regarding ecology, geology, botany, biology, and anthropology to the groups of college students and researchers that she leads on hikes at Jasper Ridge.

And she enjoys giving tours to children’s groups in Hidden Villa’s Environmental Education program, because she loves the excitement of the children as they explore the farm, the garden, and the wilderness.

But her volunteer service began long before her retirement years. From the time that she and her husband first moved to Los Altos Hills in 1960, this awardee served on several committees for the Town.

As a Registered Nurse, she also volunteered for the Palo Alto Chapter of the Red Cross in several of their programs, including classes for expectant mothers, assisting in the blood donation center, and teaching First Aid and CPR classes.

Following the death of her husband, she also volunteered as a hospice visitor, providing respite for family caregivers who needed a break from the daily burden of providing careto a loved one.

And because she was originally from England, she has proudly served her adopted country by volunteering as a polling place worker since she first became a citizen of the United States.

She is a wonderfully positive and energetic person, a natural teacher and leader of others.

And when she is not volunteering or hiking in the hills, you often see her walking around the streets of Los Altos.

I am pleased to present this Volunteer Service Award to Ruth Buneman.