Louis Henderson likes to stay busy.

When Henderson retired from his job at a utility company in 1997, he wanted to make sure to keep active, so he started to volunteer in the community.

&uot;When you retire you got to have something more than just sit and watch TV,&uot; he said.

A little more than a year ago, Henderson received a phone call asking if he would be interested in delivering books to local senior citizens. The Albert Lea Public Library gathers the books to be delivered and then Henderson brings them to a senior citizen’s home.

Henderson also does volunteer work at Halverson Elementary School once a week. He brings students over to Thorne Crest South to visit and play games with seniors. He enjoys the interaction the kids and seniors have.

&uot;A lot of children don’t get an opportunity to be around elderly people,&uot; he said.

Henderson is also involved with the Freeborn County Historical Museum, providing his services as a tour guide talking about country schools, like the one he attended in Iowa.

What Henderson enjoys most about his volunteer work is that he provides services that otherwise would not be available to the public because of tight budgets at the various organization he helps out with.

&uot;Volunteers are hard to come by,&uot; he said. &uot;I keep begging people to become a volunteer.&uot;