Finding Your Community by Volunteering.
- Information VOICE_TRIBUNE
- Feb 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 11, 2025
By Manda Barger • Photos Provided By Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
Retirement is often synonymous with relaxation, travel, and reaping in the benefits of decades of hard work. As time marches on, it can also bring a search for community. Wes Krupiczewicz of Louisville found that meant going back to his roots and becoming a volunteer.
When Krupiczewicz retired from his career in chemical engineering, he fulfilled his initial plans- enjoyed time with family, traveled, etc. He then considered what’s next. Gardening had always been a part of his life since he grew up on a farm in Michigan. He also enjoyed the outdoors while visiting Yew Dell Botanical Gardens. He told me, “After I retired, I knew I needed to continue that passion, so I called Yew Dell and said ‘hey, I want to volunteer.’”
It didn’t take long for Krupiczewicz to see that volunteering did more than exercise his green thumb, it revealed a community. He said, “one of the things that happens after you retire from work, you lose a significant social community. When the work disappears, a lot of those friendships drift apart quickly. So, you need to establish relationships with people that are interested in doing what you’re doing.”
This is a similar story for many of Yew Dell’s “core” volunteers- people who dedicate their time on a weekly or monthly basis in the gardens. The majority of this group is made of older adults giving back while also receiving so much in return. Multiple sources from Johns Hopkins University to AARP credit volunteering for improving physical health and brain function while reducing depression and isolation. Amanda Allred is the Volunteer and Website Coordinator at Yew Dell and sees how all the stakeholders benefit from volunteering. She adds, “Volunteers offer so much more than manual labor; they bring curiosity, expertise, friendships, dedication, and joviality to every shift.”
Volunteering offers a great way for older adults to get active, continue their purpose, and discover new friendships. As Krupiczewicz describes, “when I’m working in my yard, I’m alone- other than with the bugs and birds and weeds. When I’m volunteering out at Yew Dell, I’ve got people around me that I can chit chat with and share experiences and share the garden with.”
Krupiczewicz uses his skills to volunteer in various roles at Yew Dell- from weeding to giving tours. Organizations like Yew Dell often offer a variety volunteer options. Allred also participates in the Kentuckiana Association for Volunteer Admin istration (KAVA), a network of volunteer administrators in the region. She says, “Most every nonprofit organization has ways to get involved that may not be apparent on the surface. At Yew Dell, that may mean stuffing envelopes, assembling signs, leading tours, serving on committees, or bringing magic to the Fairy Forest. If an organization’s mission speaks to you, but you don’t see an obvious way to get involved- ask! You may be surprised at the doors that open.”
Krupiczewicz adds there is one last benefit to volunteering in the gardens- seeing Yew Dell’s growth throughout the years. He adds, “To me, gardening is not a short term, one year commitment. It’s a life-long obsession. So, I like seeing all the changes that are happening in the gardens.”
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens will resume its regular season for volunteers in March. You can learn more but visiting: yewdellgardens.org/volunteer
The part about friendships drifting when the job disappears is so real — people underestimate how much “proximity” does the heavy lifting. Volunteering is basically choosing a new proximity on purpose, and the fact it’s tied to something tangible (plants, seasons, upkeep) probably helps people stick with it. Also, it’s nice seeing an example where the “next chapter” is about consistency, not just big bucket-list trips. On a lighter note, routines that make you feel put together matter too; I’ve gone down the StyleLookLab rabbit hole for that kind of reset. StyleLookLab This story made me think more about scheduling community the way we schedule everything else.
I like that this isn’t just “stay busy in retirement,” it’s more like “replace the community you didn’t realize work was providing.” The garden setting makes a lot of sense too — you’re talking while your hands are doing something, so it’s less awkward than forced small talk. Random aside: I’ve noticed anything creative (even messing with photos on this site) can scratch that same “shared project” itch when you do it with others. this site Makes me wonder how many people would feel better if they treated community like a habit instead of a perk.
The quote about needing to “establish relationships with people that are interested in doing what you’re doing” feels like the most practical advice in here. It’s easy to underestimate how much work gives you a ready-made calendar and a ready-made group. Volunteering is almost like choosing your next “team,” but with something you actually enjoy. Side note: the way places organize volunteers and signups reminds me of how directories try to sort people into shared interests — hrefgo popped into my head because of that. hrefgo Either way, it’s cool to see a retirement story that’s about building something, not just winding down.
I appreciate that this frames volunteering as a two-way thing: you’re giving time, but you’re also rebuilding the “everyday” connections you used to get from work. It also made me think about how communities form around shared little rituals — weekly shifts, specific tasks, even inside jokes that grow over time. Total tangent, but that idea of shared patterns is why I fell down a rabbit hole learning some basic stuff like a simple caesar cipher tool once. a simple caesar cipher tool Anyway, the garden angle feels especially smart because it’s outdoors and physical, not just social for the sake of social.
The line about losing your work friendships fast after retiring hit home — it’s not that anyone means to disappear, it’s just that the shared “place” is gone. I like that he picked something he already cared about (gardening) instead of forcing himself into a new identity. Weird side thought: when I need to turn my brain off after a long day, I’ll do something simple like BlockBlast, but volunteering seems like the more meaningful version of “keeping busy.” BlockBlast Either way, having a routine where you see the same people regularly seems to be the real key.