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'The community needs you,' says Daily's Volunteer of the Year Marty Kent

Decatur Daily - 12/30/2021

Dec. 30—During a typical week, Marty Kent spends up to 30 hours — longer than the work week for many part-time jobs — volunteering throughout the community.

From sitting with Hospice of the Valley patients and making scrap metal runs to the junkyard for the Committee on Church Cooperation to stocking shelves in the Decatur Public Library's used book room and transporting a war veteran to appearances for Honored Legacies, Kent's impact resonates throughout north Alabama.

For his work with numerous organizations, the 76-year-old Decatur resident is The Decatur Daily's Volunteer of the Year.

"I am very humbled. There are so many others who should be recognized. Hopefully, perhaps, by seeing what I do, others will be led to volunteer," Kent said.

Kathy Clark, who got to know Kent when he visited her husband, a Hospice of the Valley patient, nominated Kent for Volunteer of the Year.

"I know of many people who are very dedicated and spend many hours working with one or two nonprofits. But, I know of no one who routinely serves so many different nonprofit agencies in weekly and monthly service projects," Clark said. "The more places that Marty volunteers, the greater the number of people he blesses."

Take a peek at Kent's weekly calendar and it looks something like this: Monday, pick up donations for the CCC and restock shelves at the library; Tuesday, visit a hospice patient; Wednesday, pick up donations for the CCC, shelve books and visit a hospice patient; Thursday, pick up donations for the CCC; Friday, do administrative work at hospice and visit a patient.

On top of that, Kent volunteers with Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church and transports Decatur World War II veteran George Mills to meetings and events for Honored Legacies for Veterans.

"I'm his chauffeur," Kent laughed. "It's a pretty rewarding gig."

Kent credited his desire to volunteer and give back to the community to his parents, Bernard and Marjorie Kent.

"My dad was career army and always wanted to serve our country. My mom was a nurse and always wanted to serve in that capacity. I grew up watching them serve in their own ways. That definitely impacted me during my childhood," said Kent, who grew up traveling around the world due to his father's army career.

After graduating from high school, Kent received an associate's degree from a technical institute and worked for a year before enlisting in the Navy.

"Growing up I didn't want anything to do with the service because I saw how it impacted my dad's life. The draft, though, during the Vietnam War, encouraged me to enlist in the reserve program," Kent said.

During his two years in active reserve, Kent served as a fire control technician, working on the guidance system for missiles aboard the USS John King, which deployed to the Mediterranean, North Atlantic and the Caribbean.

In 1968, Kent returned to school and graduated from the University of Tennessee in December 1971. A month later, he moved to Decatur for a job at BP Amoco, where he remained for 27 years, retiring early in 1999 as the chief mechanical engineer in order to care for his wife, Liz, who lived with multiple sclerosis.

With his extra time during retirement, Kent began volunteering.

"The first place I volunteered with was Hospice of the Valley. My work had a health fair and I spoke with someone from Hospice of the Valley. It sounded intriguing. Also, my mom was a retired nurse and did volunteer work with hospice down in Florida. In the beginning, I just volunteered in the administrative capacity," Kent said.

When his wife died in March of 2016, Kent extended his volunteer efforts with hospice and began visiting patients at home.

"I had all those years of experience as a caregiver and thought I could use that to sit with patients and give caregivers a little bit of respite," Kent said. "The first time I visited a patient I was apprehensive, but I have found that all they want to do is talk about what they did, their kids and grandkids. Over the years, I've only had one person who wanted to talk about his illness."

During the past five years, Debbie McGregor has watched Kent's impact on the patients firsthand.

"Marty is a wonderful man who gives back to the community in so many different areas," said McGregor, Hospice of the Valley's volunteer manager. "You can always count on him. He is so faithful and committed. He is a friend to patients, taking time to know them and the caregiver. He is a good man with a servant's heart."

Each passing year, Kent's volunteerism grows.

At the CCC, he tests and checks the appliances — a duty he shares with fellow volunteer David Matherly — sorts the food closet, picks up donated items and takes scrap metal to the junkyard. As a member of the Friends of the Decatur Public Library, he shelves books in the used book room. And with Honored Legacies for Veterans, he accompanied Mills to Europe in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

For retirees considering whether to volunteer, Kent, who was recognized in 2004 as one of the nation's Daily Points of Light, offered this advice.

"Stay active and a primary way of doing that is to volunteer. You can always find something that can take advantage of your talents. I hear of so many people who talk about being so bored and they become couch potatoes. The community needs you. The need is there. I think volunteering is what keeps me going," Kent said.

cgodbey@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2441. Twitter @DecaturLiving.

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