Volunteer work for Hospice is his passion

Of all Vernon "Buck" Allen's community and volunteer activities, his passion is working at Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, where he has volunteered for nearly 20 years.

His assignment is to thank contributors for their donations. "No matter how great or small the amount, each one is given a personal thank you," he said. "I get to talk to people all over the United States as well as abroad."

After retiring as operations marketing manager at the world headquarters of Eaton Corp. in Cleveland, Allen and Florence, his wife of 60 years, moved to Florida. He is her sole caregiver.

"I do all of the house cleaning, cooking, shopping and lawn work," said Allen, 82. "I do whatever needs to be done. I thank God I'm still able to do it."

He also is a member of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) advisory council.

For more than 10 years, he was chairman of the Pinellas County Charitable Solicitation Board and spent five years as first vice president of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Youth Education Program. He is a member of the Retired Executive Advisory Panel, has been an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and was accepted as an arbitrator for the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the National Association of Security Dealers.

RSVP of Pinellas County is a nonprofit organization that enlists people 55 and older to volunteer in their communities. The goal is to involve people in volunteer experiences that match their personal interests and make use of their skills.

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