Cinematography was not something Jerry O’Brien set out to pursue in life. He also didn’t think he would be hauling hay in Northwest Montana or learning how to work with drywall.
But he finds himself completing these and other random tasks on a regular basis, filling in to volunteer wherever needed, and is thoroughly enjoying himself.
“I do a lot of odd jobs,” O’Brien said in a voice made for radio, his smile hidden under a salt-and-pepper mustache. “I like to just stay busy; it’s a good feeling.”
Volunteers like O’Brien are an integral part of the community, said Sherry Stevens, executive director of United Way.
“If he says he’s going to be there to volunteer, he’s there,” Stevens said. “He has excellent communication skills, he follows through. It’s critical to have volunteers that have passion, are involved and want to get the job done.”
For O’Brien, 62, it’s about filling his time with something fun and meaningful. He and his wife of 33 years, Marge, moved to Marion in 2005 after he retired from electrical engineering in 2004. In a narrative similar to many in the valley, the couple had traveled through the Flathead on vacation and fell in love with it.
The area had plenty of perks, O’Brien said: fly-fishing for him, reel fishing for his wife and a ski hill just up the road. And, after growing up in Chicago and working in Portland, Ore., O’Brien said he was ready to live in a tight-knit community.
“I like a small town,” he said.
But after 34 years of staying busy with work and raising two children, O’Brien said he was looking to stay active. That’s where volunteering came into play.
“I feel fortunate to have been retired early. It feels like the right thing to do, to give back some time to the community, to improve it,” O’Brien said. “I’m not just putting in hours, but I actually do something that helps something, even if it’s just building a wall. It makes you feel good.”
One of his main projects in the past year and a half has been helping with the Gateway Community Center remodel. And though he has no previous experience making films, he’s also working on shooting videos about each of the agencies at the community center to put online as a means of encouraging others to volunteer.
O’Brien also helps out with the Flathead County flu clinic, the Salvation Army giving tree and works with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on stream-flow monitoring projects.
O’Brien said he finds most of his jobs through the Flathead County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), which sets up people ages 55 and older for volunteer opportunities.
“That’s one of the neat things about RSVP, they serve as kind of a clearing house and like a bulletin board for volunteer help,” O’Brien said.
He also sits on the RSVP advisory council and has proven to be a quiet leader in the program, said RSVP program manager Sara Cowger.
“He’s one of those types of people he doesn’t say a whole lot unless he has something to say,” she said. “He doesn’t talk just to hear himself talk.”
O’Brien said he enjoys working with other volunteers, both his own age and the younger generation. It showcases an interesting generational dynamic when two or three people have to work together to solve a problem, he said.
“It’s good, it’s a challenge to try to draw somebody out, kind of get them involved,” O’Brien said. “You can’t just get in there and tell somebody exactly what to do, you want them to have fun and come back.”
Stevens noted that there are plenty of volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, and the United Way can help match up community members with a task. She is always looking for folks like O’Brien who want to invest their time locally.
“He’s one of the good guys in the community,” Stevens said. “He totally gives back from his heart – he’s so concerned about making our community a better place to live.”
To contact the United Way Volunteer Center, call 752-7266. For more information about RSVP, call 758-5712 or visit www.flatheadrsvp.org.