Volunteer Highlight: The Joy of Working with Like-Minded Folks

Resha’s been a dedicated environmental activist for most of her life.  While working as a speech pathologist in the Dodgeville School District Resha helped launch the Green & Healthy Schools program.  At the same time, in the community she was a dedicated member of Sustain Iowa County and a citizen lobbyist representing Iowa County with Citizens’ Climate Lobby.  In that capacity Resha joined other citizen lobbyists in Washington D.C. to advocate for a fee on carbon-based fuels.

Resha has been volunteering for many years, doing everything from stuffing envelopes to seed cleaning. More recently, she helped with DALC’s county-wide CLEA-N project that encourages folks to exchange incandescent lightbulbs with efficient LEDs.  “I delivered LED light bulbs for CLEA-N because it is a great idea to help people reduce their carbon output even a little bit.  And I know from experience that when a DALC staff member invites me to help with something it will be environmentally and socially significant and will involve meeting and working with fun, interesting, smart and caring people.

“I was surprised at how friendly and helpful people were when I called about delivery times for the LED bulbs and at how many people remembered to put out their old light bulbs for me to pick up. 

“When I went back to the DALC office to pick up a second batch of bulbs, I was delighted to see an old friend from Citizens’ Climate Lobby, whom I had not seen since before Covid.  She was also getting another batch to deliver.  We talked briefly, and I felt lightened, fortunate and enriched by just having talked to her and by remembering how much we had had in common over the past 20 plus years.”

Besides volunteering, Resha loves to tend and improve her 4 acres in the Driftless area.  “Just about anywhere in the Driftless is beautiful and very interesting.”