For a good cause -- Grow knows volunteering

Amy R. Spurgeon

Nearly 4,000 teens landed on the Orange Coast College campus Tuesday to

participate in the 17th annual “High School Senior Day.”

And Don Grow, a Huntington Beach resident and volunteer, was there to

greet them. Grow, 61, was stationed at the Adams Avenue parking lot under

a canopy -- equipped with a box of programs, a handful of meal tickets

and two cans of soda.

“Take a program so you know what’s happening,” Grow said to passersby.

“Have a good time.”

For the third year in a row, Grow has helped out at the event. The

tradition started during the courtship of his wife, OCC employee Jan

Tolson.

“He’s been doing this for three years, but we’ve only been married for

two. So he did this even without the benefit of marriage,” Tolson said.

“He’s just a good guy.”

This year’s event commanded 150 volunteers, who toured teens around

campus, helped with registration and manned information booths. The

daylong event was geared toward giving the seniors a glimpse at what life

is like as an OCC student.

Grow, sporting a red cap, bright orange T-shirt and black Wranglers, was

easy to spot. And even though he may have been just another face in a

long line of strangers, participation in the event meant a lot to him.

Grow retired at 55, after 19 years as an insurance company collections

manager. Since then, he has enjoyed volunteering at events that don’t

keep him strapped to the clock.

“Think of your life,” Grow said. “For 55 years, your life is planned for

you. But once you retire you have the luxury to pick and choose. You have

to plan something each day to occupy your time. These things give you a

feeling of accomplishment.”

And Grow’s wife isn’t the only one who notices and appreciates his

efforts.

“In the time I have been here, he has never been late and has never

failed to roll up his sleeves,” said OCC President Margaret A. Gratton.

“I don’t think we can have ‘Senior Day’ now without him.”