Volunteer and improve your life: Follow the Lucia Schattelyn example
Volunteering is a simple way to improve your health, ease feelings of loneliness and broaden social networks. Nature lover and Lemon Bay Conservancy Wildflower Preserve’s volunteer chair, Lucia Schattleleyn, is a lifelong volunteer and considered by those who know her well as an expert on the subject. Three in five Americans surveyed in a recent polling report felt lonely. Researchers attributed these findings to a variety of factors, including a lack of social support, infrequent meaningful social interactions, poor physical and mental health, and an imbalance in daily activities. Furthermore, studies show that volunteering not only helps people feel less lonely, it can also improve physical well-being.
Loneliness often times stems from unwanted solitude. A potential cure? Kindness toward others and our environment. Opportunities to give back are becoming more readily available than they were last year, and the need for volunteers steadily continues to grow. “Volunteering is one of the best, most certain ways that we can find purpose and meaning in our life,” shares Lemon Bay Conservancy member Marian Schneider.
Most wild flowers are beautiful, fragrant and colorful. Wildflowers are of special interest to flower lovers. Flowers that grow on their own, without any need for cultivation and grow in the wild, are called wildflowers. There is no mistake about it, the most wild flower at Lemon Bay Conservancy Wildflower Preserve, is none other than Lucia Schattleleyn. Just like the original flora and fauna found on site at LBCWP, Lucia has been hard at work volunteering since the inception of the Preserve. The preserve property spans 80 acres of reclaimed land. It originally operated as Wildflower Golf Course from the early 1970s until 2006. It was purchased by Lemon Bay Conservancy in September 2010. At the time, Lucia lived directly across the street from the property and rallied behind the idea of turning the golf course into a land preserve that everyone could enjoy.
Lucia spent 37 years in the public health care sector. She has been retired for 12 years, but that has not slowed her drive for volunteer work in any way. Quite to the contrary in fact, shared Lucia’s longtime friend Marian Schneider.
“She spends countless hours at Wildflower Preserve each week.”
Marian and Lucia met one another in 1969 when they worked together at a remote bush hospital in Moze, Zambia. Lucia traveled from her home in Hague, Holland to serve as the head of hospital onsite development to the 100,000 Tonga people living there. The 100 bed facility served 500 patients per day. Staffed with only 16 employees and volunteers, Marian and Lucia worked together in Africa for two years.
Who knew that the simple act of volunteerism would serve as the base for their 53 years of friendship?
“Lucia loves adventure,” confided Marian, and she is relentless in her pursuits.
Polk County is located in the central portion of Florida and is a long way from Zambia, but that is exactly where Lucia traveled at Marian’s invitation. Marian was working as a Medical Tech at a local hospital at the time, when she suggested that Lucia apply for a work visa and come to visit her in the “Sunshine State,” Lucia eagerly accepted Marian’s invitation. In short order, she also managed to scope out an ideal career opportunity for herself.
Lucia quickly made her application to become a naturalized citizen, and was granted U.S. citizenship five years later. An avid hiker, biker and triathlete, Lucia was born for the outdoors and adventure.
“Ask anyone who has ever worked with her, she is a force of nature all of her own,” remarked Eva Furner, board member and Chair of the Wildflower Preserve Committee. Together, Eva and Lucia work alongside LBC volunteers on the implementation of projects and long-range preserve planning.
Former owner of Grande Tours Kayak and Paddleboard Center in Placida, Schneider spent many seasons leading visitors and locals on tours together with her fearless friend Lucia. Whether it be coasting silently through a canopy of mangrove tunnels, exploring “The Wolverton Trails,” venturing around islands teeming with birds, or paddling up to a sandy beach with gently breaking waves, tours were always accompanied by the majestic Southwest Florida backdrop of natural wonders. Grande Tours is remembered most for partnering with the area’s finest providers in order to offer very unique experiences and adventures out in nature using certified Florida Master Naturalist Guides.
“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship,” stated Dr. Brene Brown of the University of Houston, Texas. Simply ask anyone who has ever had the pleasure of working with Lucia Schatteleyn and they will attest to her abilities in creating genuine, heart felt connectivity with everyone she meets. Volunteering is a powerful way to boost our overall health and well being. Not convinced? Spend one day working with Lucia at Wildflower Preserve and see for yourself. New volunteers and wild flowers are always welcome.
Regardless if you have previously committed your time volunteering elsewhere, it is always a good practice to regularly assess the best investment of your time and donations. Participating in organizations, causes and relationships that align with your personal values is vital. Fresh insights, lessons and new experiences are all part of the adventure in volunteering, whether that adventure happens in a moment, an hour, a day or years. The true reward in volunteerism springs quietly from within our own hearts as we begin to notice giving our efforts directly reflects what is deeply valued and cherished inside ourselves.
