For 71-year-old Gretel Reid Blake, age is no reason to slow down when there are young people to encourage, seniors to support, and a community to serve.
A familiar and active presence in Rock River, Blake finds great joy in interacting with young people, sharing her experiences, and ministering to seniors who are in need of help. Her commitment to serving others recently earned her recognition as one of the recipients of the Rock River Citizens Association’s Senior Citizen Awards.
But for Blake, the recognition is not what drives her.
She says serving others is simply part of who she is.
By nature, Blake describes herself as someone who loves to serve and make a difference. As a member of the Berean Church of God in Rock River, she remains actively involved in church life and makes herself available to people of all ages.
“We have youth meetings every Friday, and I ensure I am there to encourage and guide them,” she shared with the Freedom Come Rain Newspaper.
Blake is also involved with the Women’s Missionary Group, where she serves as the assistant leader. Through the group, she gets another opportunity to reach out to seniors in need.
“As a part of the team, we visit the elderly and give them care packages. We also pray with them,” Blake explained.
At 71, Blake said there is no slowing down for her right now. She enjoys serving others, and although she is a senior herself, she believes she still has the energy to minister to those who are not as strong as she is.
Her recent recognition by the Rock River Citizens Association is therefore something she accepts with gratitude. Making herself available to others, she said, is a part of fulfilling her duty as a Christian and showing God’s love.
For Blake, however, service also means ensuring that the spirit of volunteerism is passed on to the younger generation.
She has noticed that some young people are not interested in serving, and she believes seniors have an important role to play in encouraging them to become more involved in their communities.
It is for that reason that she makes it her duty to engage young people in conversation, share her experiences with them, and encourage them to serve others.
“I try my best to tell them that it is good to share with others. Sometimes we do things not for money, but just to volunteer,” she noted.
Blake acknowledges that the world has changed over the years, and there are some things about today’s society that she misses.
Among them, she said, are the manners and humility she remembers seeing more often among young people in the past.
“They are so aggressive in everything they do. Sometimes someone will say something and they get aggressive. I try to tell them, Just be calm, listen and don’t act on it,” she said, adding that it is wise to choose the simplest or most peaceful way of dealing with situations.
She also pointed to what she sees as another example of the changing values of society: young people who are sometimes unwilling to give up their seats for elderly passengers on buses.
According to Blake, seniors have an important role to play in guiding and teaching youngsters about the values that were instilled in previous generations.
While she does what she can within her own community, Blake recognises that she cannot do it alone.
She wishes that all seniors who are in contact with younger people would use those opportunities to share their experiences, provide guidance, and motivate the next generation to become better versions of themselves.
Thankfully, she said, the young people she nurtures listen to her.
That, perhaps, is one of the greatest rewards of her service.
At a time when many people might choose to step back from community involvement, Blake continues to step forward. Whether through her church, her work with the Women’s Missionary Group, her interaction with young people, or her support for elderly members of the community, she continues to give her time and energy to others.
Her message is simple: service does not always come with a financial reward, but it can leave a lasting impact.
And after 71 years of life and experience, Blake remains convinced that faith must remain at the centre of everything.
In closing, she offered one encouragement to both seniors and young people: put their faith and trust in the Lord.
“There’s nothing too hard that He cannot do. I have proven Him so much time and time and time again. Whatever you try to do, put God first. Don’t leave God out of anything. He will never fail.”
