Senior citizens E. Nick Vaccariello and Steve Potter enjoy their roles as volunteers

Mar. 26—E. Nick Vaccariello and Steve Potter both followed a similar path to become volunteers at area senior centers.

Each man was a senior center member before needs arose at these organizations that prompted them to occupy positions as regular volunteers.

Here's a look at how Vaccariello helps out at the Fairport Harbor Senior Center and Potter assists at the Perry Senior Center.

Vaccariello

Every Tuesday at noon, Vaccariello instructs the Weights and Bands Advanced fitness class at Fairport Harbor Senior Center, located at 1380 East St.

Members of the class, which also is held at noon each Thursday, use light dumbbells and exercise resistance bands to enhance strength, tone muscle and increase flexibility.

"All the weights and bands are provided by the center," he said. "Members just come out and enjoy themselves and hopefully get a little bit of a workout."

Different parts of the class are performed standing or while sitting in chairs. Before members begin using the weights and bands, Vaccariello leads the class through some stretching exercises.

The 81-year-old who lives in Painesville Township has been a member of Fairport Harbor Senior Center for about 10 years. He has been a volunteer at the site for approximately eight years.

Before joining the center, Vaccariello started going to a gym and working out. Eventually, he secured the services of a personal trainer to become more physically fit.

"I enjoyed exercising," he said.

When center Director Chris Yano decided to start an exercise class, Vaccariello agreed to serve as an instructor.

"I knew the correct form on how to do things," Vaccariello said.

Until recently, he also had taught an Arthritis Exercise class at the center every Monday.

"But the commitment became a little bit much for me, two classes a week," he said. "So I gave up the Arthritis Exercise class (in February.)"

Previously, Vaccariello also volunteered at Project Hope for the Homeless in Painesville Township and at the St. James Episcopal Church soup kitchen in the city of Painesville.

"Volunteering has always been important to me," he said. "I've been so lucky in life, so I think that it's really great to try to help people who are in need."

Vacariello grew up in Cleveland and worked for 37 years as a public school teacher in the city prior to his retirement.

In regard to his current volunteer position at the Fairport center, Vaccariello said he will continue instructing the Weights and Bands Advanced class for as long as he is able.

"It's really nice to see all of us seniors who are still interested in exercising and know that it's an important part of life," he said.

Potter

A Perry Village resident, Potter became a member of the Perry Senior Center about five years ago. In February 2022, he decided to become a volunteer at the site after seeing an announcement in a newsletter.

"It said they needed a volunteer on Mondays and Wednesdays," he recalled. "I thought, so why not (volunteer)?"

Initially, Potter began assisting Al Grace, who served as the center's primary volunteer to set up rooms for activities, doing basic maintenance and repairs, and performing other miscellaneous tasks.

"And I had known Al for all the years that I've been here, and he was getting older," Potter said.

Not long after Potter signed on as a volunteer, he ended up taking on additional responsibilities at Perry Senior Center. That's because Grace died April 22, 2022, at the age of 83.

Following Grace's death, Potter eventually began putting in more hours as a center volunteer.

"It was supposed to be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays," said Potter, who is 66 years old. "But now, I'm generally here from about 7:45 in the morning, until usually about 2:30, 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays."

When Potter arrives in the morning, he'll turn on the lights and other apparatus in the building. Then he'll start setting up chairs and tables for whatever activities are planned for that particular day.

"I help them with their different games," he said. "They have a Wii bowling league, and I set up the TVs for that. If for some reason, they can't get the remotes working, I take care of that."

Potter also will assemble various equipment that the center purchases and perform repairs of different kinds if it's within his means.

Prior to his retirement in 2021, Potter worked for 30 years at Lubrizol Corp., a manufacturer of specialty chemicals. He began working in security for the company, but eventually retired as a drum stocker.

"Our department would bring in 55-gallon drums, 5-gallon cans, so forth and so on, and we would pour samples for the blend room and they would make different blends for the scientists," he said.

He eventually started coming to Perry Senior Center to exercise on the center's treadmills.

"But every time I would come over here to use the treadmills, somebody was always on both treadmills," Potter said. "So then I saw they had a men's coffee program, and I started coming to that."

Before Potter moved to a house on Main Street in Perry Village, he lived in a mobile home park in Perry Township.

"I would help the elderly there, if they needed this fixed or that fixed, or if they needed their grass cut, or whatever the case may be," he said. "And still to this day, if people call me and say, 'Hey, can you put a faucet in for me? Can you do this or that?' I do it, and I don't charge anything."

Potter said he also gains satisfaction from helping people in his current volunteer role at Perry Senior Center.

"It makes me feel good," he said. "And I enjoy talking to the people here and they seem to enjoy me."

On April 19, Perry Senior Center will honor Potter as an outstanding volunteer. He'll be saluted during a luncheon program slated for 11:45 a.m.

"He is our 'Go To' with so many different things," the center stated in its March/April newsletter. "Please help us thank Steve for all he does for our center."

Cost to attend the volunteer recognition luncheon is $15 per person. Reservations must be made by April 10 either in-person at the center or by calling 440-259-3772.