(1 of 2) “Look, I’m 82. My grandchildren are in Louisiana, Pittsburgh and Charlotte. And so, I got all this time. Nancye Flynn asked me about volunteering here with reading. I said, ‘I can do that.’ I’m new at it. I really like it. I work with second-graders and fourth-graders, and they are adorable.”

(2 of 2) “I’m an artist. I paint everything on rocks. I give it to them for doing a good job. I’m the ladybug lady.”

“I’m into weather stuff. I like learning about it and how it forms. Like a hurricane, it forms over the ocean. A tornado is formed by thunderstorms – heavy thunderstorms, bad thunderstorms. And tsunamis, well, what it is is an earthquake under the ocean makes waves, just enormous waves, and makes them crash onto land and makes a flood.”

“I want to be a vet. Because I like animals. I like rabbits, dogs, all types of stuff. Because some are big, and some are small, and some are cute and some are that really cute. But I really like animals.”

What’s your favorite part of middle school?

Lockers.

Lockers? Why?

I don’t know – more space.

“I think it’s important because it provides a good example to the other students, it models good parent-child relationships, it shows that it’s good to be involved. I just notice all the kids in the class are always excited when they see a parent here whether it’s me here with Watch D.O.G.S. or when I notice other volunteers. There are many reasons why volunteering is excellent, and just one of them is modeling good relationships.”

(1 of 2) “We should have your blue beads in the middle because ours are both silver.”

(2 of 2) “That’s better.” 🙂

“You’re unlucky and lucky. You’re unlucky because you just missed some great piano playing. You’re lucky because my hula hoop act is coming up. Two years ago I used to be terrible at the hula hoop and now I’m much better.”

“I found out what I’m passionate about and I did it by eating pizza. The thing is I’m passionate about a lot of things, but what I’m most passionate about, you know, being Italian and all in my blood (that’s more like Dracula, but anyway – I’m passionate about food. I love to cook. I love to eat it, oh, I love to eat it. I’ll eat anything, well, I wont eat anything…I really love food. I’m passionate about it.”

“I want to be a doctor so I can take care of people when they get sick.”

“Wait, so, how do you spell ‘doctor?’”

“I want to be a veterinarian because I like my dog.”

You don’t want to be a doctor like your parents?

“No! I don’t want to see the blood.”

“I really enjoy including people in things because, from experience, I‘ve always been put out of things, I don’t know how to explain it. People, like, would leave me out maybe because I’m different and I’m taller and stuff. I don’t know. It just felt like I wouldn’t fit in. I always wanted to include people in things and make them feel wanted.”

“I guess I am passionate about just being happy and making others happy around me or cheering their mood up.”

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to make someone laugh?

“It was a birthday party and like she was sitting there and I put icing all over my face and I rubbed it on hers and, yeah, I messed up all her makeup and stuff.”

“Before, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Now, I know exactly what I want to do, and I’m ready for life after high school. I was planning on enlisting in the military, but Cmdr. Brown has mentored me, telling me that I have officer potential with my knowledge and skills. The instructors really do care about you. They’re not here just to make you do what they want you to do. They actually guide you on the right path and I’m really grateful to them for that. They put me on the right path.”

“Reading gives me perspective on being in other people’s shoes, and it helps me think a little more.”