Judith Wenker

Independent Law Practice Professional

This translates to board functions and responsibilities, too — the best nonprofit boards benefit from a thoughtful mix of life experience, age, and ideas.

Judith is our most seasoned board member, and one who shares her wisdom graciously and enthusiastically. She’s a prior Board President and Vice President, well-versed in our mission and our values. With a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of ElderHelp at her fingertips, Judith helps initiate, inspire, and encourage new members when they join our board. She refers to herself as a “board ambassador,” with a mission of helping new board members put their particular knowledge and expertise to work in advocating for our seniors.

When Judith read about ElderHelp in the paper nearly 20 years ago, she was looking for a volunteer commitment she could really connect with. As she tells it, she wanted to volunteer with an organization that understood the importance of one-on-one visits with seniors, as she “was fast becoming one” herself. She felt that society had a tendency to “warehouse” seniors, which seemed counterintuitive to her. With all the wisdom and experience they have to offer, why not shine a light on them, and bring them to the forefront?

A former environmental attorney, overseas teacher, and member of the Women’s Environmental Council, Judith believes that while retirement may signal the end of our chosen career, it’s not the end of our work life, or our worth. She notes that many of ElderHelp’s volunteers are seniors themselves, and that seniors often take on new passions at retirement, much as she did.