William (Bill) Radatz, Volunteer of the Month for June, 2019, was nominated by Monte Turner of Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. Bill joined them in 2013, after getting to know the value of the Gleaners’ work when he worked at an agency that received food that the Gleaners delivered to that agency on a weekly basis. Bill also served as board treasurer and chair of the fundraising committee of Senior Gleaners from 2013 – 2018.
The former board president of Senior Gleaners, Laurel Gray, described Bill this way: “his character is one of creative persistence, a hard worker who gets things done no matter the difficulty”.
Former board member, Elaine Hiel said “Bill has been a diligent long-term volunteer with a talent for creativity. He has dedicated many hours to his duties as treasurer and to discover clever ways that the community of Gleaners supporters can help to keep the organization funded”.
Although Bill was not an accountant, he enjoyed making the Senior Gleaners’ books balance at the end of each month. He took his role seriously and performed it with gusto. Besides handling routine banking for the group, Bill prepared a detailed monthly report and a comprehensive annual report and budget for Senior Gleaners.
He also kept detailed information about expenditures and he coordinated acknowledgements to donors. Bill’s attention to detail regarding financial transactions was extremely helpful to the smooth running of the Senior Gleaners organization.
Bill’s greatest contribution to Senior Gleaners of San Diego County was his development of several fundraising events including one in April, 2018, that raised nearly $5,000. He organized and coordinated the events and fully participated in them as well.
He also enlisted his own friends and family, as well as Gleaners, to help at these events. Bill has boundless enthusiasm for any project he tackles. His positive attitude is contagious and inspires others to get involved and contribute.
In addition to all this great work with Senior Gleaners, Bill currently serves as the chair of the board of the Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO), which provides a wide variety of services to the downtown homeless and low-income population. He is a volunteer speaker for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at SDSU, encouraging seniors to partake in the diverse classes offered for those over fifty years old.
He and his wife Martha have been long-time volunteers with Heifer International, an organization seeking to end global hunger and poverty while also caring for the earth. Bill is also one of the co-founders of the San Diego non-profit Survivors of Torture, International, and served many years as their board chair.
Bill had this to say about volunteering: There are several joys that continue to make volunteering a meaningful and rewarding part of my now “senior” life. It is a way to reaffirm the values I have learned throughout life and it continues to challenge me to put these values into action.
Volunteering keeps me engaged with the changing world and especially with those who are harmed or forgotten in our society. It is fun to have some of those gifts that I thought I had “retired” called forth into new settings and uses. Lastly, you meet such good people (fellow volunteers) with whom you share so many values.
Thank you Bill, for all that you do to make San Diego, and the world, a better place!!