SPICEing up young lives

by Cathie Campbell - of the Sierra Star

--Sierra Star/Cathie Campbell

Rivergold Elementary School students Leslie Ahlenslager, Nielson Singleton, Freeman Vang, Ariel Vang, Ashley Perez and Forrest Hall cluster about SPICE (Seniors Participating in Community Education) volunteers Jim and Ethel Rudd at the school last Thursday while Oleta Johnson, SPICE director, presents certificates of appreciation to the Rudds. Ethel Rudd was named “Volunteer of the Year.”

Ethel Rudd honored as

SPICE ‘Volunteer of Year’

COARSEGOLD — Students and staff at Rivergold Elementary School (which happens to be a California Distinguished School) smile every time they see Ethel Rudd, who has become not only part of the school but part of their lives as well.

Mrs. Rudd was honored last Thursday with the “Volunteer of the Year” award offered through the SPICE program (Seniors Participating in Community Education) for the 2001-2002 school year.

The total number of hours that Mrs. Rudd volunteered, all at Rivergold School, was an incredible 601.50, which takes a lot of dedication and commitment.

She is the type of person that lets others know she is not only glad to see them, but more than happy to do whatever she can to make their lives a little easier. Her positive outlook and boundless energy allows her to not only dispense help with school work, but to also distribute lots of genuine hugs and smiles.

The kids affectionately call her “Grandma Ethel” and their school experience is greatly enriched by her presence, which is all day, every day. She is even getting involved in the school’s summer school program.

Mrs. Rudd began volunteering about 11 years ago, right there at Rivergold School, when her oldest granddaughters started school. They are now going into 10th grade at Yosemite High School. Now her youngest granddaughter will be a fifth-grade student at Rivergold when classes start up again.

She has no plans to retire from volunteering. “I got so attached to these teachers and kids that I wasn’t about to give this up,” she says.

Not surprisingly, the next in line for Volunteer of the Year was her husband, Jim, who managed to rack up a total of 492 hours in the SPICE program, even though there were many times he did not register.

Mr. and Mrs. Rudd are residents of Yosemite Lakes Park, having moved there in 1991 from Lakewood, in the Los Angeles area. They still have family over there, and they laugh when recalling how Mr. Rudd grumbles about the traffic when they visit.

Mr. Rudd (”Grandpa Jim,” or “Grandpa Rudd”) shares his wife’s enthusiasm for volunteering with the SPICE program. “I’ve got myself a little group,” he says of the students he interacts with. He especially looks forward to those times when a student who may have been struggling to understand something has a moment when it all just “clicks” and makes sense.

“When that little light goes on,” says Mr. Rudd, “it’s the best thing in the world!”

“We love these kids,” they both say. “We just hope we’re filling in that little gap they’ve got.” It is easy to see that the Rivergold children not only feel that love, but give it right back to “Grandma and Grandpa.”

Teachers are also highly regarded by the hard-working Coarsegold couple. Mrs. Rudd has worked closely with Teresa Davis for about 10 years, and a working relationship with that kind of history is a great benefit for everyone involved.

“We’ve known these teachers for years,” says Mr. Rudd. “I can’t pick out one that isn’t great.”

The Rudds are not only grandpa and grandma to every child at Rivergold; they also have five grandchildren in the family, as well as two more that they sort of “adopted.” Both agree that if it was physically and financially possible, they would eagerly open their home to every child in need of a loving family and attention.

For now, Ethel and Jim Rudd see their hundreds of “grandchildren” on campus, and if it’s true that “home is where the heart is,” then Rivergold Elementary is not just an educational institution, but a real home and family.

The framed certificates of appreciation they each received from Oleta Johnson, SPICE director, are permanent reminders of the Rudds’ significant contribution to the volunteer program, but it doesn’t end there. As they stroll to and fro on campus, the hugs and bright smiles are like trading cards, only much more valuable. And the more you give away, the more you get.

SPICE volunteers tutor students in reading and basic math and also read to students. There is also a resource directory for retired professionals who want to do special presentations in the classroom.

Volunteers can fill out a form on which are listed several different categories. “We match their requests or area of interest with the needs of the schools,” says Mrs. Johnson.

The SPICE program is funded by United Way of Madera County and the Educational Enhancement Foundation. A school child needs you, and even if you can’t spare enough hours to become “Volunteer of the Year,” like Ethel Rudd, you can still make a significant difference in a young person’s life. Hugs and smiles guaranteed.

Anyone who is interested in joining SPICE should contact Mrs. Johnson at 683-3811 or 683-5995.

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The reporter can be reached at 683-4464; e-mail: ccampbell@sierrastar.com