RECOGNIZED FOR DEDICATION, INSPIRATION—Simi Valley resident Teri Thomson was named the 2011 Wayne Templeton Volunteer of the Year by the Simi Valley Council on Aging. Thomson is a fixture at the Simi Valley Senior Center. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers She may be small in stature. She may be an octogenarian. But none of that matters: Teri Thomson has a big heart and boundless energy when it comes to giving back to her community.

For the past seven years, the longtime Simi resident has dedicated her time to serving her fellow 55-and-older set at the Simi Valley Senior Center.

“After I retired I was looking for something to do and I was helping out at the schools one day a week—trying to find my niche, what I’d really like to do,” said Thomson, whose speech, even after 50 years in Southern California, still reveals her New York roots. “And going over to the senior center, I said this is it. I like the people that I worked with and the people that I worked for. And I met tons of great people.”

The 82-year-old got started by pitching in on the Brown Bag program, which provides a weekly bag of groceries to low-income seniors.

“ Somebody asked me if I could help out with the Brown Bag program just for a few weeks because somebody hurt themselves and I was taking their place,” Thomson recalled. “And I liked what I was doing, so I got on the volunteer list and began doing other things.”

Just like that, she slipped into the pack of fervent senior center volunteers. Seeing all that the “beautiful” center offered in programs and activities, Thomson—a past city representative on the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging advisory board—couldn’t help wanting to get more involved.

She trained to become a senior center ambassador, working the front desk for three years and welcoming newbies to the facility. She also took on the task of trying to facilitate transportation for Simi seniors to Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills.

After two years of work, she was unable to secure a transportation service, but Thomson didn’t let that disappointment dissuade her from working on other senior issues. She got elected to the city’s Council on Aging executive board, first as recording secretary in 2008 and then vice chair in 2009.

“I said I might as well find out what makes this place tick,” Thomson said of the COA, which raises funds to support programs benefiting local seniors. “I learned that these people that, again, are volunteers, they’re what makes all these programs click.”

Her pet project for the past three years has been the Bingo Bonanza. In 2009, the COA’s fundraising committee was looking for a fresh idea and Thomson suggested bingo, saying it’s a good moneymaker.

She was right. The first event raised about $3,200 to benefit the senior center’s Brown Bag, Meals on Wheels and Lifeline programs, and subsequent events, held twice a year, have all done well. Thomson has chaired the past five Bingo Bonanzas and is planning the sixth on April 21.

Now, because of all she’s done and her willingness to keep serving, her peers have honored her with a prestigious award, naming Thomson the 2011 Wayne Templeton Volunteer of the Year. On Jan. 9, Thomson attended the COA board meeting, unaware of what was in store.

“I was so surprised. When (chair) John (Williams) read off the stuff, I didn’t even know who he was talking about, but when he said bingo I said, ‘Oh my god, that’s me.’”

Initiated in 1985, the award was first given to Templeton, a driving force in the development of a senior center in Simi Valley and the creation of the Council on Aging.

Since it bears Templeton’s name, the award is given to someone who lives up to that man’s legacy—someone who upholds the tradition of selfless devotion and service to the senior citizens in the community.

“She’s a phenomenal volunteer. She has an incredible amount of energy,” said Laurie Dickinson, senior services manager for the senior center. “She’s just been incredibly involved with the senior center, she’s sat on so many committees. She’s extremely dedicated and easy to work with.”

A three-member committee appointed by the COA selects the Volunteer of the Year. The committee includes the past year’s Wayne Templeton Award winner. Barbara Durham, the 2010 honoree, said Thomson was an easy choice. In fact, Durham had nominated her friend last year.

“(The nominees) were all deserving but . . . Teri was our clear winner,” Durham said. “I thought she deserved it last year. She was my candidate, so it was easy this year to pick her.”

Durham said Thomson exemplifi es the Wayne Templeton spirit because she never says no.

“Teri is one of those volunteers that you say, ‘Would you?’ and she says, ‘Yes.’”

What’s more, people enjoy working with her, Durham said, pointing to the Bingo Bonanza.

“Teri came up with his idea and she has this ability to work with everybody. Everybody loves her. She’s just so easy and she’s able to pull all kinds of people together,” Durham said. “She pulled people in to volunteer on that committee that had never volunteered before. She’s just so inspirational.”

Friend Judy Pepiot, an ad- vocate for senior housing who’s worked with Thomson on universal design issues, agreed.

“She has continued to be a can-do volunteer and really sets a great example for other seniors,” Pepiot said. “Her sunny disposition is such an inspiration to those around her, too, so she is always able to get others to help her on projects or events.”

Thomson is humble though, saying she couldn’t do what she does without her team.

“ You know, you can’t do anything alone, you need a good team, and that’s what makes this bingo so successful,” she said.

Still, she feels honored to be rec ognized by her peers.

“It’s an honor . . . because you’re selected by your peers and peers that have gone before you as Wayne Templeton winners,” she said. “So I think it’s pretty special.”