Carole Wagner

Following her retirement, Carole Wagner was looking for structure in her day and a way to make new personal connections. She read about various volunteering roles in a senior newsletter and homed in on the opportunity to read to Lighthouse Guild clients. “Hey, I like to read,” she thought, “so this would be a good thing to do for a while.” Her instincts were sound—and 15 years later, she remains a committed Lighthouse Guild reader.

Although Carole has had a number of clients over the years, her longest relationship has been with George, her very first client. During the time he was a Sociology professor, she would read various texts on Marxism, Socialism, history, and philosophy to him for his courses. She also read student papers to him and incorporated his comments on them. She must have been doing something right: In quite a testament to the value George placed on Carole’s help, he asked her if she would continue to read to him remotely when he retired and moved to Virginia.

Now, George mails books to Carole and twice a week they work together for one to two hours. “I’m lucky to have this as part of my post-retirement routine and have suggested Lighthouse Guild to others looking to volunteer,” Carole says. “I’ve learned a lot about subjects I did not know about before, and believe this work has been worthwhile for both George and me.”