Keskinen reaches her 20-year mark with Friendly Neighbors

On the third Monday of September 2003, Kay Keskinen, of Moscow, started her first day doing volunteer computer work with the Friendly Neighbors. She had retired from the University of Idaho after 31 years in the information technology department three months earlier.

“I decided I would do nothing for three months and think what to do next,” Keskinen said.

Like many people, she said she felt as if she needed to find an new identity for herself — outside of work. During the break she decided upon volunteering and had three options: the Humane Society, the library or the Friendly Neighbors’ Senior Center.

The deciding factor happened when she walked into the offices of the Senior Center, in the 1912 Center at Moscow, and saw a flyer that said there would be no computer help while Doris Norman, the then-computer volunteer, was recovering from surgery. Keskinen knew she had found a place for herself and offered to be the volunteer while Norman was out.

“You have to find a new way to contribute and feel valued,” Keskinen said.

Keskinen said the group had called Norman, who gave Keskinen the passwords to the computers, and she registered as a volunteer with the WA ID Volunteer Center, which in 2003 had an office at the 1912 Center.

When Norman returned, Keskinen started branching out in her volunteer jobs. She worked as treasurer from 2008 to 2019 before taking a break and returning in 2022. In the beginning of her time as treasurer she helped get 501(c)3 status for the Friendly Neighbors, which opened more grants to them.

The grants, Keskinen said, were helpful when providing senior meals twice a week in the 1912 Center and home delivery. The Friendly Neighbors also plan programs like chair yoga, dance fitness, bingo and game days.

Now, 20 years down the line, Keskinen, is still volunteering with the Friendly Neighbors, working as the treasurer, newsletter editor and chairperson of the continuing education center. With the WA ID Volunteer Center, Keskinen has logged at least 13,000 hours since her start.

Keskinen said she recommends volunteers register with the WA ID Volunteer Center if they don’t know what kind of work they want to do. The center pairs volunteers with organizations that need help. Volunteers with the center track their hours and turn them in each month, although Keskinen said she sometimes is a few months behind. For more information about the center, visit waidvolunteercenter.org.

The Friendly Neighbors is not the only thing in Keskinen’s day. She has volunteered with committees like the Facilities Planning Committee, the Moscow School District Planning Committee and the city’s police chief search committee. Keskinen is also involved in the horseshoe pitching team in Moscow and edits the organization’s newsletter, webmaster and tournaments.

Her time volunteering is always exciting to Keskinen. She said it was a way to give back to her community and to stay connected.

Kali Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.