John Dennison is an unpaid worker bee, easily one of the busiest in Santa Rosa. About 20 hours most weeks ? more others ? he pulls weeds, paints over graffiti, picks up and shelves groceries for a food bank for people with AIDS and gets gloriously dirty doing gardening and repairs at the historic Rural Cemetery.
The people running a number of organizations that seek to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County regard this retired truck driver/warehouseman as one honey of a volunteer.
?John is kind of the quiet, behind-the-scenes guy,? said Bill Montgomery, a retired city parks official and a force in the volunteer association that keeps up the Rural Cemetery.
Leaders of the Forestville-based Food for Thought/The Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank are so grateful for the consistent work by Dennison and his wife, Kathy, they named a volunteer award for them. Another major gesture of acknowledgment and thanks was the Merit Award the city of Santa Rosa gave the Dennisons in 2007 for the neighborhood upkeep and beautification they do with Bennett Valley Vision.
John Dennison, who retired five years ago from a long career as a truck driver and furniture warehouseman, doesn?t volunteer for lack of anything else to do. He?s a stream fisherman with plenty of home chores and other interests to keep him occupied.
He makes time to work regularly in the community for the same reason he keeps up his yard ? he wants the place he lives to be vibrant and inviting.
?It?s just pride in the community, basically,? he said.
Dennison joined Food for Thought after he and his wife learned of the mission to get nutritious foods to local people battling AIDS. He followed his interest in history to the Chanate Historic Cemetery and to the Rural Cemetery, where he?s part of a small and dedicated crew that twice a week weeds and does whatever needs to be done.
?The big thing is the weeds,? said Montgomery, of the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Preservation Committee. ?Without them doing that, the place would be a disaster.?
Dennison also stepped right up when the city and Bennett Valley Vision called for volunteers to combat graffiti and do landscaping in public areas of their neighborhoods.
?We?re just keeping Bennett Valley a nice place to live,? he said.
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