Volunteer of the Month - Colleen B

Colleen B. is our newest Volunteer of the Month. She has been a dedicated and regular shopper for Carry-Out Caravan in Boulder and Longmont for almost two years and has even done some YardBusting in the past! Week after week, Colleen is usually the first volunteer to show up to shop at BOTH stores and is always willing to help deliver groceries when we need the extra help. She’s really amazing and much appreciated.

Colleen was born in southeastern Wisconsin in Kenosha on Lake Michigan, and has two older brothers and one younger sister. She was happily raised Catholic and went to St. Mary’s Church. Her mom was a bookkeeper and later worked in a hospital as a clerk, and her father was an auto body repair person and mechanic. Colleen’s mom was a major inspiration to her. She taught Colleen to make a genuine effort at work. At a young age, she worked for her parents in their home - cooking, cleaning, and caring for her little sister. After graduating from high school, she moved to Manhattan Beach in California. She loved with her Aunt Mae and Uncle Ray, and helped care for their young children, Ted and Sally, while also working in the cafeteria at TRW in Redondo Beach. Colleen attended college at California State University Dominguez Hills, where she received a BA in English and later studied drafting, machining, electronics, and computers at El Camino Community College at night after work.

Colleen married Don in California in 1975, and they moved to Boulder in 1994 with her company. Colleen was a technical writer at Lockheed Martin in Boulder and retired in 2016. Prior to that, she worked at several manufacturing companies. Sadly, her husband passed away from cancer in 2013. She says he was a wonderful person who helped her throughout their 38 years of marriage. She misses him and is grateful for the life they shared together. These days, Colleen likes bike riding and walking trails. Her perfect day is being outside, enjoying Colorado.

Colleen’s mother’s inspiration to work hard and help people is still evident, as she is still doing so as a volunteer now that she is retired. Colleen says she enjoys shopping for seniors at King Soopers in Longmont and Boulder because she loves seeing the sunrise and watching the colors and clouds move across the sky. Beginning her day to shop at 7:00 a.m. means she leaves her house around 6:30, which gives her time to appreciate many sunrises. She truly enjoys socializing with the Cultivate employees, the other volunteers, and the clients we shop for. She feels good knowing that the people Cultivate shops for appreciate the work we do and that we are making a difference in their lives. Her other volunteer activities include fundraising for the Longmont Symphony (she’s a member of the Longmont Symphony Guild), serving on her HOA Board, and many different volunteer opportunities at her church (St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church) as a greeter and registration person with AARP tax aides.

Colleen, your lifelong dedication to working hard and helping others is an inspiration and a blessing. We are so proud to have you represent Cultivate week after week at the Longmont and Boulder King Soopers! We thank you for all you do and the positive attitude you always exude when shopping so early in the morning!

About Cam Low:

Cam Low, a Boulder Native, enjoys the outdoors, practicing yoga, listening to live music, and spending time with her friends and family.  As an avid Buffs fan, she is a devoted volunteer with the CU Boulder Alumni Chapter and Buffs4Life as well as an Ambassador for the Boulder Chamber. She joined the Cultivate family in March 2020 as a Business Development and Program Specialist. Cam is passionate about helping seniors and eager to introduce Cultivate clients to other people within the Cultivate Community, further encouraging the connection and relationship between clients, volunteers, donors, and staff. 

Our dedicated volunteers are crucial to the Cultivate family and living our mission of helping seniors flourish through active engagement with their community. Each month we will feature their stories in Volunteer of the Month. If you are interested or want to nominate someone else, please contact Cam Low at clow@cultivate.ngo