Meet Teri.

Teri Lockie is our MVV for Q4, 2019! Congrats, Teri... and thanks for all you do.

It started out once a week with a vacuum.

Teri Lockie and her infant daughter Annika would make a home companion visit through the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program. While Teri would vacuum, her home companion would hold Annika.

It’s no longer just about vacuuming — it’s about a friendship formed over years of visiting and playing games, coloring pictures and sharing stories.

Lockie, a social worker, decided to spend more time at home after Annika’s birth, and volunteering through the program allowed her to continue to help others.

With their home companion in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, their weekly visits included more time visiting, making sure bills are paid and providing transportation to medical appointments.

It’s a great feeling to help someone who “wants for nothing more than for you to visit with her,” Teri said.

It’s more of a time commitment now than ever, but after so many years together it’s almost like family.

It’s not just beneficial for the home companion, she said. Annika gets the opportunity to spend time with someone from an older generation — her own grandparents don’t live in the area.

Over the years, Teri has been honored for her volunteerism in numerous organizations. She’s been instrumental at the Joshua Tree Shelter, Special Advocates for the Elderly (SAFE), Flagview Intermediate PTA, among others.

Helgoth, A. (2009, September 22). RSVP needs more volunteers. Elko Daily Free Press. Retrieved from https://elkodaily.com/news/local/rsvp-needs-more-volunteers/article_38cb20f9-8316-534a-976a-4a47204af095.html