Volunteer Spotlight: Denae Rusk

Finding Her Place by Pitching In

When Denae Rusk first offered to volunteer, she thought she’d be scanning documents.

A few months later, she has helped with the Packard Farmers Market, worked weddings and special events, taken on projects behind the scenes—and even offered to hop on a riding mower if an extra set of hands is needed.

It wasn’t exactly a plan. Instead, one opportunity simply led to another.

“I would say there’s so many different unique opportunities that you’re gonna find something that you enjoy doing, if not more than one thing,” Denae said.

Looking for Something Meaningful

Denae had recently retired and then spent another year doing contract work with Chrysler. At first, she enjoyed the change of pace. She had more time to read, travel and spend with family.

But after a few months, she realized she was ready for something more.

“I was kind of like, okay, I gotta find something to do,” she recalled.

She wasn’t looking to replace one full-time schedule with another. With daughters in the Upper Peninsula and Florida, a mother in Iowa and a love of travel, Denae wanted the flexibility to continue being present for those parts of her life. At the same time, she wanted somewhere she could contribute and spend her time productively when she was home.

The opportunity arrived surprisingly close to home.

Denae and longtime PPG volunteer Ken Snyder live in the same subdivision, and Ken and Denae’s husband serve together on the subdivision board. During a visit, Ken mentioned some scanning work that needed to be completed.

Denae offered to help.

Scanning gave her an introduction to volunteering with Packard, but Denae soon realized she was interested in becoming involved in other ways, too. After completing Ken’s project, she connected with Mary Anne Demo and began helping with one-off projects around the Proving Grounds.

Then came Fridays helping Mary Anne and Liz with Packard Farmers Market registration.

Then weddings.

Then Simply Unique Market.

And somewhere along the way, the volunteer opportunity Denae had been looking for began to take shape.

Open to What’s Next

Rather than settling immediately into one volunteer role, Denae has been discovering the PPG by trying a little bit of everything.

She has also become a welcome source of event photos, capturing moments from weddings and markets while she’s working simply because she enjoys seeing what’s happening around her.

And she’s still finding new ways she might be able to help.

While working Simply Unique Market with fellow volunteer Dante, Denae learned that back problems can sometimes make mowing difficult for him.

“If it’s a riding mower, I could probably do a riding mower,” she offered.

That willingness to consider something new seems to come naturally to Denae. She doesn’t need every task to fall neatly within a particular volunteer role. If something needs to be done and she thinks she can help, she’s willing to give it a try.

There are limits, of course. When the possibility of woodworking came up during our conversation, she laughed.

“I’ll leave that to them.”

Part of the Team

For someone relatively new to the organization, Denae has already experienced several very different sides of life at the Proving Grounds. But when asked what has made the PPG stand apart from other volunteer opportunities, she didn’t point to the cars, buildings or events.

She pointed to the people.

“Everybody’s really welcoming,” she said. “I think just making people, also the volunteers, feel valued has been really nice.”

Even seemingly small things have mattered—a name tag, a volunteer shirt, the simple gestures that tell someone they are part of something.

“You feel like a team.”

That sense of connection is showing up in the work Denae enjoys most, too. At the Farmers Market, she likes talking with vendors and visitors. At weddings, she gets to experience celebrations and meet families from different backgrounds. At one recent wedding, the mother of the bride was particularly determined to make sure Denae sampled some of the family’s Filipino food.

Those interactions have become as much a part of her experience as the work itself.

And Denae is still getting to know the larger community behind the Proving Grounds—the docents, drivers and volunteers whose work may take place in entirely different corners of the property.

“There’s a lot more people there than what you think,” she said.

For someone who came looking for a place to contribute, she’s found quite a few people to contribute alongside.

“If You Can Do It…”

Denae’s willingness to try something new isn’t limited to Packard.

She enjoys traveling, reading and staying active, typically making it to the gym several times a week for strength training and walking. Before a knee injury put an end to running, she completed four half-marathons.

Her reason for getting started sounds remarkably familiar once you know her.

Her husband decided he was going to run a half-marathon.

Denae thought, “If he can do a half marathon, I can do a half marathon.”

Years later, her daughter started making sourdough and told her how good it was.

Once again: “If you can do the sourdough, I can do sourdough.”

So she did.

Today, Denae makes bread, focaccia, cinnamon-sugar creations and, when she’s willing to put in a little extra work, everything bagels.

Although she describes her approach somewhat differently.

“I’m a lazy sourdougher.”

It’s a funny description coming from someone who seems happiest when there is something to do, somewhere to go or something new to try.

Seeing Where It Leads

Denae hasn’t been volunteering at the Packard Proving Grounds for decades. She didn’t arrive with a lifelong connection to Packard or knowing exactly where she would fit.

And that’s part of what makes her experience worth sharing.

Volunteering doesn’t always begin with a particular expertise or a clearly defined role. Sometimes it begins with an introduction, a willingness to help and the opportunity to discover where your own interests and abilities can be useful.

Denae started with one project. A few months later, she’s still discovering new corners of the Proving Grounds, meeting more of the people who keep it moving and finding new ways to contribute.

For someone who was looking for a meaningful way to stay active while maintaining the flexibility she values, it has proven to be a pretty good fit.

And if another opportunity comes along?

Judging by Denae’s first few months, there’s a good chance she’ll at least give it a try.