Each month for the next year the MCC hopes to shine a spotlight on one or two of our volunteers. This month,
October 2020, we spotlight volunteers Dennis and Elaine Lynch.
Spotlight on Volunteers Dennis and Elaine Lynch
Some of our readers may remember the movie Brigadoon. It’s a 1950’s musical, set in an enchanted village in Scotland, and one of its featured songs is “Almost Like Being in Love.” Brigadoon came up during our conversation about when and how Dennis and Elaine Lynch came to live in Monterey.
Dennis and Elaine, Monterey Community Center’s spotlighted volunteers this month, fell in love with Monterey when they were beginning to plan their retirement and were looking around for a good spot. Monterey’s General Store was an open and welcoming community gathering place at the time, with people, music and good food. They loved the hilly terrain of Monterey, coming from the flat land of Long Island, where Elaine was working as a reading teacher and Dennis in environmental activities for the public and private sectors.
The Lynches had friends living nearby. On one of their weekend visits, out for a walk, they asked a group of young women for the name of a local real estate agent “whose door we could knock on.” It was the end of the work day, but Linda Hebert answered the knock and graciously invited them in. Monterey became the Lynches’ part-time home in 2004 and full-time residence in 2016. During this time they watched the renovation of the Wilson McLaughlin House and became eager to help with the new Monterey Community Center.
They are both now on the Community Center Town Committee and Dennis is on board of the Friends of Wilson McLaughlin House. They help with the MCC programs from conception to cleanup: They like to come up with ideas for programs, communicate with prospective presenters, keep in touch with current and potential participants, and they show up for the programs. Before the Covid restrictions, they were running game nights (and bringing cookies). Dennis now sets up the ping pong table outside, and is looking into possibilities for an outdoor table as well as other outdoor activities. Elaine is eager to support the new student page in the Monterey News with a writing gathering at MCC as soon as guidelines allow.
Funding is an ongoing effort, says Dennis, and grants have supported some of the MCC activities. Elaine and Wendy Jensen wrote a grant for the wonderful Coffee House events, featuring local musicians and refreshments. There was, sadly, only one evening for this event before Covid hit. We are looking forward to the opportunity to present the next three. Dennis and Wendy Germain have reached out to the Parks and Recreation Commission for further funding of outdoor activities (and is grateful to Hy and Myrna Rosen for their generous donation of the ping pong table and equipment). Dennis also organized the October Mushroom Hike with Tom Ryan, DCR Service Forester.
In addition to their volunteer time at MCC, Dennis and Elaine are helping with the Town’s newly launched Pantry Pickup and this winter’s holiday BrightLights, as well as working in environmental activities protecting Lake Garfield and the Konkapot River. And more.
Dennis and Elaine say they do all of this because they enjoy being part of the town community, getting to know people, and doing things that contribute. As the Brigadoon song says, “And there's a smile on my face / For the whole human race / Well it's almost like being in love.” The Monterey Community Center is grateful for the help of these dedicated volunteers. They keep smiles on the faces of our committee members, presenters, participants and visitors.