56°F
weather icon Clear

Lend A Hand recognizes volunteers

Lend A Hand of Boulder City recently honored the work of its volunteers.

“Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” said Shannon Eckman, Lend A Hand’s executive director.

During a brunch Saturday, Jan. 20, at Railroad Pass to thank its volunteer force, Eckman said Lend A Hand has 74 volunteers to help its 367 clients. These volunteers provide transportation, in-home services and companionship and facilitate equipment loan to seniors and disabled people in Boulder City. It operates on a donation basis, thereby not charging clients to help them.

Lend A Hand usually honors its volunteers at a dinner. This year, however, board President Georgia Wenzel said the organization held a brunch for the first time. The board also did not give out any individual volunteer awards as it had in past years.

“I started out to fill my day up,” Mary Boettcher said of why she began volunteering. “My dad had done it, and it was such a rewarding experience for him.”

Boettcher’s father, Jerry, was one of the original drivers for the nonprofit, which was established in 1989. She has been a volunteer since 2010.

“I lost my job, drove to town and signed up at Lend A Hand,” she said. “It saved my life.”

Fellow volunteer Dave Dempsey said he was “strongly encouraged” to start volunteering by a friend of his. Now he has been doing it for several years, and he said he enjoys it.

“The people are really interesting,” he said.

Husband and wife team Jerry and Lori McHugh have been volunteering for approximately 10 years. Both said they do it to give back.

“We want to give back because we’ve been blessed with so many things in this life,” Jerry said.

“I grew up poor,” Lori added. “This is my way of giving back to other people.” The organization assists seniors and disabled residents in Boulder City, helping them remain independent. Its goal is to improve their quality of life by showing them that someone cares, relieving their stress in getting places and helping them to stretch their budgets.

According to Eckman, Lend A Hand is in “desperate need” of more volunteers. Only about half of the volunteers on the current list are active.

“We do need more volunteers on a daily basis,” she said.

To volunteer, call Lend A Hand at 702-294-2363.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Homecoming: Small town tradition

There’s something special about Homecoming in Boulder City.

Student achievement main focus at Mitchell

Mitchell Elementary has enjoyed a great beginning to our school year as our staff continues to serve our students and families as their children learn and grow their leadership skills.

What is a PSA test and why you need one

PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) is a protein produced by the prostate gland, which is found in small amounts in the blood. The PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test is a blood test used to screen for prostate health and to help detect prostate cancer.

Wurst Fest kicks off fall event season

For nearly three decades it kicks off a very busy event season in Boulder City; one that goes up into the holidays.

Chugging Along

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

Class In Session: Bobcats hit the ground running

The 2025-2026 school year is off to an exciting start at Garrett Junior High School. From impressive academic growth to new STEAM classes, our Bobcats are showing what it means to learn, lead, and succeed.

BCHS going strong at 85

The 2025–26 school year is off to a fantastic start at Boulder City High School.

Falls at home place seniors at significant risk

We may crack up watching slip and fall accidents on TikTok or “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, but in real life, especially for seniors, it’s no laughing matter.

Wine Walk returns with new lineup of themes

September kicks off the busiest time of the year in terms of community events in Boulder City.

Local schools welcome new staff faces

Author John Steinbeck once wrote, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”