Governor Honors Carrrie Merritt For Volunteerism

A longtime community servant in Glenwood was among the Iowans recognized at the Governor’s Volunteer Awards program in Ankeny on June 25.

Carrie Merritt, one of the founders of the Bloom Senior Center in Glenwood and former president and longtime volunteer at the Mills County Historical Museum, was one of over 400 Iowans recognized by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“Those being recognized are the people who invest in others without expecting anything in return - except, of course, for the fulfillment that comes from doing their part to give back to their community,” said Gov. Reynolds. “This collective impact is nothing short of remarkable.”

Merritt spent over two decades volunteering her time at the Mills County Historical Museum and spent several years as president of the museum’s board of directors. She was involved in drawing up the paperwork and the cumbersome process of getting the museum non-profit status.

There we so many hoops to jump through with the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies, Merritt recalls, that she was ready to give up the effort.

“I finally said, I’m done, I’m not going to do it,” she said. “Then, I got a call from the IRS and they said, ‘You have started this, you will finish it.’ I had to go back to (banker) John Dean and (attorney) Jim Thomas and worked with them. We got it done.”

Merritt was among a committee of volunteers that got a senior center established in Glenwood more than a decade ago.

“ I was on the group that started it,” she said. “The city council said, ‘We need a place for the seniors to go have coffee and not have to get up and leave.’

“They appointed six of us. We started looking at all the empty buildings around. We found the skating rink, we made an offer and then we started collecting donations, but it didn’t happen. One day, George Stille said you know we only have three active Masons. Would you considering renting some of the (Masonic Lodge) temple? We came and looked. We started renting it and eventually were told the Masons would like to sell it over a 10-year period.”

The present day senior center came to fruition following the death of Sarah Bloom in 2011, who had a bequest in her will designated for a senior center in Glenwood. Renovation of the building was completed five years later and was dedicated as the Bloom Senior Center.Merritt noted the original building on the site of Bloom Senior Center, served as the First Baptist Church. It was later sold to the Masonic Lodge.

A letter from Gov. Reynolds notified Merritt she had been named the recipient of the volunteer award. Merritt said she was surprised she was singled out because the Bloom Senior Center has several other volunteers deserving of recognition.

“I was surprised. Why me? We have some wonderful volunteers here,” she said. “Beth (Roberts) and Bonnie (Millsap) come in every day and open up. When the other volunteers don’t show up, they set up the meals and serve them. Bonnie is the president and Beth is vice president.”

Merritt said volunteering and giving back to the community has always been a priority in her life. She retired as an assistant business manager in 1987 after working more than 40 years at what was known then as the Glenwood State Hospital-School.

“It’s important for me (to give something back).”

Merritt, 98, still drives herself around Glenwood and has given her time to several organization and causes over the years, including her church, the museum, senior center, Mentoring With Heart and Friends Of The Library.