COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Couple do what they really enjoy, volunteering

By Qianna Bradley
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Get to Know

Jerry and Betty Golmanavich
Ages: Jerry is 59, and Betty is 61
Family: a cat, Sweetie
Jerry and Betty pour themselves into volunteer work with
many organizations.
Jerry and Betty Golmanavich enjoy volunteering for so many things, it's hard for them to devote all of their time to just one.

Betty volunteers with the local Red Cross doing data  entry.

Jerry volunteers with the Omaha Visitors Bureau.

Betty helps serve lunches after funerals at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church.

Jerry is secretary of the Omaha Magical Society.

Since moving to Omaha in 1983 from Baltimore, the two have submerged themselves in the volunteer community.

They don't have children or work full time anymore, so the Golmanaviches do what they enjoy.
 
"You get to pick and choose what you do," said Betty, 61. "I can do whatever I want."

Jerry, 59, retired in February 2000 after 30 years with Lucent Technologies.

Betty, who worked full time as a bookkeeper in Baltimore, opted for part-time hours when they moved here because of Omaha's cheaper cost of living. She currently works part time for the Omaha Archdiocese doing data entry.

Jerry works part time at the Qwest Center Omaha, ushering and taking tickets, among other jobs.

The couple said they love Omaha's volunteer atmosphere and close-knit community, especially compared to the unfriendly feel of the East Coast.

Together, the couple's volunteer service includes the Omaha Community Playhouse, Omaha Performing Arts, Salvation Army and the Holiday Lights Festival.

Betty has also volunteered with the Child Saving Institute and the American Lung Association of Nebraska.

But what they enjoy most is volunteering with the Heartland Council of the Telecom Pioneers, an organization of telecommunication employees and retirees.

Jerry coordinates Project Connect, a program within the group that teaches telecommunication technology to students through computer games.

They also participate in Hug-A-Bear, a Telecom Pioneers project that gives stuffed bears to children who have suffered bad times, and Hooks and Needles, which donates knitted items to local organizations.

Jerry likes the warm, fuzzy feeling he gets from doing things for other people.

"I wish that everybody has had 10 percent of the experiences that we've had," he said.

Betty just wants to pass along the good that has come to her.

"We've been very fortunate," she said, "and God's been good to us."