“I just enjoy helping people”

Dick Anderson was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Creston Chamber of Commerce. The humble Anderson was grateful to receive the award as community service comes naturally to him.

“I just believe in being active in your community no matter where you live and I always have been and I’m retired and I have time that I need to spend doing something and I prefer to do it this way,” he said.

Anderson moved to Creston in 1984 and was the senior lending officer for commercial loans at various banks until his retirement. Previously, he lived in Council Bluffs and Marshalltown. He moved to Creston for a job opportunity and since then he has been involved in various committees, such as the Chamber of Commerce, where he has previously been on the nominating committee for Citizen of The Year.

“I’m a member of the Chamber and I’ve been not terribly active there but I’ve been on the committee that makes these selections a time or two,” he said.

Anderson has also spent 12 years at the Union County Historical Society, which he said is his primary project.

“That’s kind of a three month during the summer time when it’s open and we’re entirely active but we’ve got a lot of things going on in the off-season too and there’s a lot of maintenance going on there,” he said. “There’s always some kind of project going on down there like roofing, painting, things like that. We have several seminars there that we sponsor and that’s where my greatest love is.”

He volunteers at the hospice center where he also tends to the garden. Anderson has been a member of the Elks for 25 years and serves on the Creston Community Betterment Foundation board, the Southern Prairie Fitness Center and his church.

As for hobbies, Anderson enjoys refinishing furniture and collection old signage.

“I like to refinish furniture,” he said. “I like antiques, particularly and other than that I just enjoy helping people.”

Behind Anderson was a dry sink he had refinished next to his refrigerator. He also said his china cabinet was bought but occasionally needs touching up.

“That was painted white, stripped it all down and refinished it,” he said.

Anderson can’t recall where and when he caught the volunteer bug as he said it’s always been his nature.

“I don’t remember, I’ve just always been that way,” he said. “Probably when I was a kid.”

He doesn’t get involved for the accolades, he just enjoys giving back.

“I don’t expect any rewards out of that, it just makes me feel good that I influenced someone’s life,” Anderson said.