Meet MOFGA Volunteer Betsy Armstrong
A retired teacher of the blind and visually impaired with 45 years of service in Texas and New York. After many years in Manhattan and then Surry, Maine, she is currently living in Rockland while constructing a homestead in Unity — in biking distance from MOFGA’s campus.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering with MOFGA?
Though I am winter-harboring in Rockland, I hope to be living in Unity by the spring. My property there will be an off-grid yurt and garden.
I am not employed, but I volunteer a lot. I try to integrate myself into Unity by working on my property, participating at the library, and learning about the town. In Rockland, I attend two churches, go to Palestine stand-outs, and help at the emergency warming center.
What’s your connection to MOFGA, past or present?
I’d heard about the Common Ground Country Fair for years. My son went to Bates and knew I would like the Fair. The first opportunity was in 2012. We had just purchased property in Surry, and I went for a day. The next year I went for two days, and then I went for three days. I’ve been going to all three days probably since 2014 or ’15.
I love going to the Fair, and I have been a sustaining member of MOFGA for several years. I had volunteered some and tabled during the Fair before while living Downeast, but once I was in the area I started volunteering at MOFGA on Wednesdays. As a Master Gardener Volunteer, I like to help out in the garden during the season and tidy the grounds pre-Fair. I’ve gotten to work at Fair set-up and takedown, collecting maple sap, in the kitchen, walking the trails and the orchard, and meeting the wonderful staff. I got snagged into the Wednesday group, and I’m probably there one or two times a month.
Why do you volunteer?
It’s what we’re supposed to do. I have always been a participant, a volunteer. I go to workshops. I go to meetings. I like to be informed, and I like to be involved. It’s what we do for each other and for our neighbors.
When I lived in Surry, I was very involved as a selectperson, with the Ellsworth pantry, a local church, and our age-friendly team. I have a hard time being still.
I’m slowly getting into things on this side of the Penobscot River. I will be helping out at the Unity Library. Once I’m there more regularly, I’m hoping to help out with the pantry there. It’s what I can do. When I stopped working, I became a professional volunteer.
What gives you hope for the future?
We can do things for other people and look out for them. When you do something for somebody else, the joy of doing that is what gives me joy.