Humble Worker Receives Recognition

By: Micah M.

Mr. Ron Siffring is not one to stand up and receive praise or recognition for all the good he does. At first, when I asked him to do an interview with me for my English 9 Local Anonymous Extraordinaries project, he thought I should do it with someone who’s “more deserving.” After I reassured him that he fit the bill perfectly, he gave in and we scheduled an interview for Friday January 27, 2012 at his home in Ogallala.

Before the interview begins, he repeats that he thinks the recognition should be given to someone else, but I tell him that he will do just fine.

When asked, “What are you passionate about?” He is not unsure of himself. His faith, his family, his job, and his volunteer programs are the first things that he mentions. He is very accomplished as a volunteer, yet is extremely humble. A farmer of 22 years, Siffring is now working and living in town. More importantly, he is working to make a difference in the lives of other people. Throughout the community he is involved in many volunteer organizations. He is the co-chair of the local Brother’s Keeper program and is a charter member of the Big Mac Kiwanis Club. He recently gave up his Kiwanis treasury office, which he held for 16 years. He is also involved with the Gideons, a group that ensures the placement of Bibles in local hotels.

In the Brother’s Keeper program, he works to make sure that senior citizens have company, and he sometimes helps them with everyday tasks such as balancing their checkbook. “Something is so simple and yet it’s such a complicated thing for a senior citizen. I see a lot of senior citizens that are in the nursing homes and assisted living in Ogallala that have no family coming to visit with them. They just want some outside contact, and if you bring a little bit of cheer to somebody it’s just… it’s just in my nature to stop and say hi to somebody,” Siffring says of his work in the program.

But he is not just involved with seniors; he is also active in seeing to the well being of the local youth. “Kiwanis is a group of volunteers that are set aside, really to try to meet the needs of the community… A lot of the kids fall through the cracks, and so we try to find programs and ways to help them,” he commented when speaking of the Kiwanis.

His helping character was instilled in him early in life, as he accompanied his mother, a nurse, on visits to her patients who had little company. Another model volunteer was a man from his church. “He was always kind of a good mentor for me… We would talk about people and then we would try to go visit them and do something about it.”

So, what is his motivation for volunteering? Seeing how much it means to the people he is helping, be them old or young. He also noted that his faith plays a big part in motivating him to volunteer. “It’s so simple, and it means so much to them,” he stated.

When asked what advice he could offer to the next generation about volunteering he said, “First of all you have to have an idea that you can do something for someone and not always get paid for it… I think people have to have an inward drive to, and not be afraid of whatever circumstances that you’re going to walk into, just deal with it when you get there. You get there, and most of the time these people are just lonely.”

Ron Siffring falls into the Local Anonymous Extraordinaries category, whether he thinks he deserves it or not. His work in the community is phenomenal, even if it is little known. It is made even better by the smiles he brings, and that he does it with a happy heart.