David Lyles and Anne Calby
David and Anne moved to Flat Rock after many years of living in northern Virginia. Anne worked as a librarian for the public school system and David spent many years as a staff member in the US Senate. His last 12 years were spent as Chief of Staff for United States Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.
When it came time to leave DC, David was intimately familiar with Henderson County as an option. His grandparents lived on Evans Road and every summer for the first 12 years of his life was spent here. Ironically, it was Anne who had to convince David that they should move to Flat Rock. “I had to drag him down here,” she says with a laugh. “But now that I’m here, I’m not leaving,” David is quick to add.
The couple had volunteered with Meals on Wheels in Arlington VA for nearly seven years and after the move to NC in 2019 they were quick to reach out to COA to continue their volunteer activities. Currently, they deliver meals once a week to approximately 12 homes in and around the Mountain Home community. And it is work they both enjoy and find rewarding. “It’s direct contact with people who need the help,” says David. “We both enjoy helping and a lot of the people we see wouldn’t be able to stay in their homes if it weren’t for Meals on Wheels.”
Anne really enjoys the people - and their pets. “They are really interesting and funny people. And they have some great dogs,” says Anne. Working as a team, David drives and Anne delivers food to the door. “The people are glad to see us,” explains David. “They are friendly. and generally don’t have much communication with other people. It feels good to check to see how people are doing from week to week.”
Both David and Anne have been very impressed with the Council on Aging and appreciate the opportunity to learn more about their new home. “They are extremely well organized and we’ve gotten to see a lot of the county that we would never have seen otherwise,” says Anne.
Keith Logan, Executive Director of the Council on Aging, knows firsthand how instrumental COA volunteers are to the success of the organization. “We simply could not serve 400 clients each week without a dedicated core of volunteers,” he explains. “They are integral to our success.” Ultimately, because of volunteers like John, Margaret, Chuck, Anne, and David, hundreds of Henderson County seniors enjoy a better quality of life and, as the Council’s Vision Statement imagines, do not have to age alone.
Thank you to them … and thank you to everyone who volunteers to help in Henderson County.
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If you are interested in learning more about the Council on Aging you can visit their website at coahc.org. There you will also find a place to make online donations and/or submit a volunteer application if you’d like to help out. They currently have roughly 150 volunteers but will need many more as they slowly return to their complete range of programs and services offered prior to the limitations necessitated by the pandemic.
Thanks to everyone who gives of their time and talents to make our community a better place for everyone. Your generosity enriches us all.