Ever since he, his wife Mimi, and two children moved to South Salinas in 1976, George Niesen has been an active member of the community, due in large part to his wife, who started volunteering for the local PTA soon after they moved to the neighborhood.
“She is extremely well-connected to this community,” says Niesen. “More so than I even, but we are a pretty good team in terms of doing stuff in the community.”
Niesen spent his working years as a teacher at UC Santa Cruz and at the California Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, then as a grant writer, and later as a managing editor at a research and publishing firm in Carmel. After retirement Niesen began volunteering for Active Seniors, Inc., a Salinas-based nonprofit that lives up to its name. He began first as a board member and then became the newsletter editor, listing a daily activity calendar and volunteer news, which he has done for about 10 years.
“I’m good at it, and I really enjoy doing it,” Niesen says. “It saves me from having to play bridge to keep my mind sharp.”
Among his many activities, including serving on the board of the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts for nearly three decades, Niesen has also been involved with the homeless outreach nonprofit Closer Walk, which was founded by a friend. Although Niesen says he is not a regular volunteer, he offered his home as a drop-off point for donations such as toiletries and clothing, which he takes to the nonprofit’s headquarters on Soledad Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Salinas.
Niesen has also helped to organize an unofficial block party for H-2A farmworkers each fall at the motel next door to his home, catered by a nearby deli.
“I enjoy a good party,” he says.
When asked what inspires him to remain so active in his community, instead of just spending his retirement years resting and relaxing, Niesen says it stems from his upbringing, as his parents were “very community-oriented.”
“Why should we not be nice people?” he asks. “I do not understand why people cannot be nice. It’s beyond my comprehension and way beyond my upbringing.”
Niesen says that he is starting to slow down a little as he approaches his 86th birthday, which means no more big projects for him, but he will still stay active doing tai chi through Active Seniors, Inc., for example, and watching his wife play ukulele, which she also learned through the nonprofit.
“We’ve got some good years ahead of us yet,” he says.