In 1979, two things happened to Gary Schamel.  He was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and he started volunteering.

A retired Air Force master sergeant, Schamel’s reasons for volunteering were threefold.  He wanted to give back to less fortunate people, stay busy, and meet new people.

“I was inspired to volunteer by a good friend of mine who works as the business manager at St. Leo’s Catholic Church,” Schamel, a resident of Parkland, said. “When I saw some of the things he did, I wanted to do something too. I feel pretty fortunate during this recession.  My retirement pay looks pretty good every month.”

Schamel’s generosity of spirit has earned him high esteem in volunteer circles as he celebrates his 30th year as a volunteer.

A majority of his volunteer work is done for the Diabetes Association of Pierce County (aka DAPC), a Tacoma-based nonprofit that provides services including diabetic screening, education workshops, a day camp for children with diabetes, and a meter loan program for people diagnosed with diabetes.  According to DAPC’s annual report, 2,928 people received services and 5,000 volunteer hours were worked in 2008.

The remainder of Schamel’s time is spent assisting with a special dietary food bank. Both programs are helped by United Way of Pierce County.

Although his three decades of volunteer service are flooded with life lessons for Schamel, perhaps the most valuable lesson is that one person really can make a difference, the 74-year-old said.

“There are times when little things do take on bigger dimensions,” Schamel, a board member of the DAPC, said.  “What seems like no big deal to me can mean a lot to someone in need.”

Schamel recalled some of his small contributions.

Once he delivered blankets to a food bank that happened to be collecting items for people who had lost everything in an apartment complex fire. Another time he worked shifts at a local business that donated the pay he would have received to the association. Then there was the time that he donated a refrigerator to a victim of a home fire.

During the past three decades, he has volunteered for as many as 20 hours a week, raising thousands of dollars to help the needy.

While doing work for the food bank, Schamel met some unique people who showed him the difference people can make when they help those in need.

“I saw firsthand how many people in need there are in this area,” he said. “The way people respond to the help they get really means a lot to me.  It really is the little things that happen that make the biggest difference.”

But when the day is done, no matter how big or small his contributions, Schamel hopes he helped, he said.

“I hope I make life easier for the people we service,” he said. “My motto is ‘Leave a place a little better than I found it.’ I hope I do that.”