She takes pleasure in helping others

Among all the people who volunteer at the Five Towns Senior Center in Hewlett, one volunteer certainly stands out. Gloria Boris has devoted an endless amount of time to the Center and her work is very much appreciated.

It is not surprising that Boris was named the senior center’s Volunteer of the Year for 2012. She will be honored at a breakfast on April 18, which coincides with National Volunteer Week. “The pleasure of volunteering is the most exciting part and it is part of my family’s DNA to volunteer,” said Boris.

Born in the Bronx, Boris also lived in Brooklyn and Queens before moving to Woodmere with her husband Martin, 41 years ago. She worked as a New York City schoolteacher. Though Boris said he enjoyed teaching, she found it difficult to balance both work and caring for her three children. Devoting a substantial amount of time to teaching was an obstacle to doing other things, she said.

Boris retired from the city school system in 1994. She taught part-time at South Shore Yeshiva from 1996 to 2000 and then tutored students from Lynbrook and Long Beach from 2002 to ’05. Helping others comes naturally to her, she said, because she comes from a family of activists. Her husband was a writer for the Herald for many years as well as the vice president of Mothers of Drunk Driving of the Long Island Division.

She began helping out at the Senior Center in 2005 and has been a part of the Center’s three most recent moves. The Center is now housed in the Carriage House on the Hewlett High School campus. Boris enjoys participating in all of the center’s offerings, including art, sculpture and literature classes.

Initially, Boris spent three hours a day but now she volunteers up to a eight hours per day. “I revel in the fact that we have an abundance of a multitude of programs to fulfill the needs of many of the seniors,” she said.

No one day is the same at the Center, and Bois said she is always willing and eager to help out no matter the task from answering the phone to helping with planning and organizing the Center’s trips. She loves the camaraderie and educational stimulation they provide, Boris said.

Her volunteer work at the Center has allowed her to form special friendships with the other members. Boris refers to her Senior Center friends as her family. “Gloria is always cheerful, upbeat and willing to help,” said Senior Center member, Rita Palley, “and she is greatly appreciated.”

Akin to her teaching career, Boris puts in much time and effort into the Senior Center, and was overjoyed when she learned of receiving the honor. “I felt proud, pleased as well as humbled when Georgiana (Wolfson) told me that I was being given this title,” Boris said. “I was happy to know that my work is being recognized.”

Georgiana Wolfson, the executive director of the Senior Center, is glad to have all of Boris’ assistance at the center. If Wolfson is not at the center for the day, Boris steps right in and fulfills all of the necessary duties to ensure that the activities proceed smoothly.

“Whether Gloria is introducing a speaker, welcoming a prospective member, acting as a liaison, or dealing with statistics, she is successful because of her persistence and skill,” Wolfson said. “Gloria is successful all of the time and that is why she is named Volunteer of the Year for 2012.”