October Volunteer of the Month

Jim Welz

Background
Jim grew up in northwest Pennsylvania where he met his wife while attending high school. After a series of moves, they ended up living in Goshen. He has 3 children and retired as the Vice President of Sales from Philips in Elkhart.

Time volunteering
He came to LoveWay in April 2007.

Why he began to volunteer
Jim’s grandson was the one who got him interested in volunteering. He used to ride at a therapeutic riding center in Connecticut so it inspired Jim to get involved here.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Jim likes it that the kids that ride here are so happy. He says he always ends up walking out happier than he came in because their happiness is so contagious.

Favorite Horse
He likes Spike the best because he is little and spunky. He says he can relate to his hair issues too.

First memory of LoveWay
Jim remembers feeling like he was in over his head and not qualified to help in class when he first started here. He didn’t know exactly how to work with the students or how much to help them. Chris the instructor for his class reassured him and encouraged him to stick with it. After a rough first semester things got better and he’s glad he stuck around.

In his spare time
Jim’s favorite thing to do is golf in his free time. He is a member at Maplecrest in Goshen and usually plays golf at least 5 times a week when the weather is nice. He also enjoys visiting his grandkids in Chicago and Minneapolis.