(Margaret Williams)

PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA, June 3, 2022 — (Placerville, CA) – The votes are in for the 2022 Senior of the Year Award in El Dorado County. Margaret (Margi) Klein, a resident of Placerville, was named as recipient of the award during the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 17, 2022. Margi was presented with this prestigious award in recognition of her exemplary volunteer service in El Dorado County.

Margi demonstrated her commitment to serving others by volunteering her time helping homeless children in the community. One of her many accomplishments included creating food pantries at six local schools so that children arriving hungry, or who needed to take food home, always had food available. She is also credited with providing a “Traveling Trunk” to local schools filled with toys, games and books about the Revolutionary War.

As Margi learned about needs in the community for children, she did her best to fill these needs. This included gathering shoes, underwear and warm coats. When she learned that some children had no books in their homes, she asked for a list of recommended children’s books from their teachers, and brought a book for every single child on the list. Margi also rallied others to help her fill some of the needs of local children as she discovered them, and she expressed gratitude for these organizations and individuals who stepped up to help.

Margi, a retired respiratory therapist, has been married for over 60 years and has one son. She has been a resident of El Dorado County for 18 years. “Margi’s dedication to our community, and particularly the children in our County, is to be commended. We are so happy to see her recognized for the Senior of the Year Award,” said Star Walker, Program Coordinator for the El Dorado Health and Human Services Agency, including Senior Services.

In addition to Margi’s Senior of the Year Award, two other El Dorado County residents were recognized at the May 17 Board of Supervisors meeting. Norma Echabarne received the Community Strength Award for her unwavering volunteer contributions made in the last two years during emergency events such as COVID-19, the Caldor Fire and weather-related events. Don and Peg Vanderkar received the Lifetime Volunteerism Award in recognition of their volunteer contributions throughout their lifetimes.

The Senior of the Year Award is sponsored each year in El Dorado County by the El Dorado County Area Agency on Aging and the Commission on Aging, and is a local recognition event that has been in existence for over 30 years. For questions about the award and/or to learn about local programs and services offered in El Dorado County for older adults, call the El Dorado County Senior Information and Assistance line at (530) 621-6369 or (800) 510-2020, or visit https://www.edcgov.us/SeniorService.aspx