Lewes Woman Offers a Helping Hand Across America
Karen Oswald, 62, of Lewes has found an ingenious way to combine her love of travel with her love of volunteering—with her traveling companion, Jack, she drives her recreational vehicle (RV) to State Parks around the country and volunteers her services while staying at each park.
When asked how she helps out, she answers “We do anything they ask us to do.” And she isn’t kidding! She repairs, builds, cleans, paints, hauls, serves as a campground host and, this summer, she is working the toll booth at Cape Henlopen State Park not far from her home. Given that State Parks tend to be short-handed and short-funded, there is no doubt that an extra set of helping hands is most welcome.
Most of her volunteering is done in the winter months, when most of the parks she visits are largely deserted of visitors. She generally stays two months at a different State Park each winter so that she can get a real feel for the area and the people who live there. She takes day trips when she’s not working at the park, so that she can experience the local sights and history of the area. Thus far, she has volunteered at State Parks in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Florida, Delaware and Washington State.
She keeps a diary (“my stories,” she calls them) of most of her RV adventures. Her favorite trip thus far was her visit to New Mexico in early 2008. She hand-fed deer and turkeys at her Sumner Lake State Park campsite, and wrote in her diary of the trip “I woke up to a treat. SNOW. It is still falling and it is beautiful. It gives the desert an entirely different look.”
Often, her travels take her to remote areas that can leave her feeling a bit disconnected from home, friends and family. “The place is beautiful,” she wrote of Moran State Park on Orcas Island in Washington State, “and a little isolated. A ferry costing $117 got us here and is the only way out. Poor cell phone service adds to the isolation. I have to drive at least four miles either up the mountain or toward [the town] to get a signal. Email is available at the local library in town.” Reading her stories, one definitely gets a feel for the passion she brings to her work at the parks—and the sense of accomplishment and adventure it brings to her. Oswald (originally from Wilmington) is hardly new to being of service, though. She was a social worker for 33 years before her retirement in 2002, working first in the welfare system and then helping special needs children in the Wildwood School District in New Jersey. For four summers, she taught Immersion English to children in Poland (where children are expected to speak only English during class).
When asked how volunteering feeds her spirit, Ms. Oswald’s eyes sparkle and a happy, contented smile takes over her face. She gestures to the campsite. We’re sitting in a mesh tent next to her RV (the mesh keeps the bugs out while allowing us to enjoy the beautiful surroundings). There is a glorious cool breeze flowing through the tent, despite the stifling heat of the sun. It is quiet but for a few children riding their bikes nearby—serene and beautiful. “I almost feel guilty sometimes!” she says with glee, “Like I am having too much fun!”
It is quite clear that this is one happy camper; and if she can be of service while she’s traveling America, seeing the sights and having adventures, all the better!
