Volunteers have set up camp and are hard at work on the historic Lemley Mill in Wyoming's South Pass Historic Mining District, where the Red Desert meets the Wind River Mountains.

They're working to stabilize the building, which still has mining equipment inside.

Renee Bovee, program coordinator for the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, said once it's on better footing, visitors will be able to peek through the windows and see what a gold mill looked like in the early 20th century.

"Eventually," said Bovee, "people will be able to see this mill, understand the surrounding, understand what it was like to try and be a gold miner in that area with Wyoming's horrible winters."

Constructed during the Great Depression, Lemley is one of the last remaining gold mills in the area.

The 30-square-mile mining district saw swarms of migrant miners after gold was discovered in 1842. By 1868, some 1,500 people lived in South Pass and Atlantic City.

The fund has contributed resources for the project through a grant to the Alliance for Historic Wyoming.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management partnered with the nonprofit Historicorps to assemble a team of volunteers to assist in structural improvements at the mill, and the only saloon in Miner's Delight.

Liz Rice, director of workforce engagement and communications for Historicorps, said the saloon offers a window into boom-and-bust towns of the era.

They were wildly active over a few years, often with multiple saloons, granaries to purchase food, housing and other buildings filled with a variety of businesses.

"And in this case," said Rice, "the saloon is unique not only for being the only one in this location, but it's also one of the most deteriorated buildings that can still be saved."

The saloon is one of 17 buildings still standing in Miner's Delight, and Rice said she expects to be sending more volunteers - students and young adults learning traditional trades and crafts - back to the site in coming years.

She said participants rarely leave a few pounds lighter, thanks to delicious meals provided by Historcorp - one of many benefits reported by volunteers.

"One of the things that I hear the most is how much camaraderie they experienced," said Rice, "how much they learned about the history, how much they were able to advance their own technical skills on a historic preservation project site."




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A Bellingham man who supports people with dementia has received one of the most prestigious awards for volunteerism in Washington state.

The Washington Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes volunteers who are age 50 or older. This year, AARP Washington has selected Tom Oliver, lead volunteer of Project Lifesaver for Dementia Support Northwest.

The project provides tracking devices for people with dementia, and Oliver works with the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department, which is able to track the devices.

He said people with dementia can take off at any moment, so it's great to be able to ease the burden on their caregivers.

"This program does give us the ability to find the missing person very quickly, like half an hour," said Oliver, "instead of 12 to 16 hours like a conventional people search."

Oliver said he traveled more than 3,000 miles last year to deliver these devices and provide maintenance for them.

About 35% of Washington state residents volunteer, according to AmeriCorps.

Marguerite Ro is the AARP Washington state director. She said the Andrus Award is given to people who give back to their communities.

"The Andrus Award recipient this year, Tom Oliver, is an exceptional volunteer in what he has provided to his community," said Oliver. "But also he serves as a role model for others, of what can be accomplished."

The Andrus Award for Community Service is named after AARP founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

While many Iowa families gather through this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving in traditional ways with food and family, thousands of people take to the streets in Des Moines' 8th Annual Turkey Trot.

Some 5,000 athletes from 38 states and three countries converge on Iowa's capital city on Thanksgiving morning to run in the Turkey Trot.

Michael Zimmerman, director of Rip Roar Events and the Turkey Trot promoter, said Thanksgiving is the busiest running event of the year in the area, based on the number of participants who enter. He explained every year, the event builds camaraderie among family, friends and fellow runners.

"Anytime you put on a running event on a holiday, especially a holiday that has also the highest caloric intake of any day of the year, like Thanksgiving, you bring people down, you do something, you sweat together, you maybe suffer a little bit while you're running," Zimmerman outlined. "And maybe it helps to justify a second helping."

Race organizers have partnered with local charities to collect coats for children on Des Moines' north side and are also working with cancer and youth charities.

The race promoters noted they have faced a unique challenge this year which has nothing to do with a more difficult course or the weather, which last year featured snow flurries and subzero temperatures. This year, Zimmerman pointed out, everyone who finishes the race receives a mug of hot chocolate, and the key word is "hot."

"The biggest challenge that we have had with this year's race is figuring out how to heat 350 gallons of water and mix in hot chocolate to it," Zimmerman stressed. "So, I kid you not, our team is going to be boiling water, 10 gallons at a time on a six-burner stove, and we're going to be mixing in 240 pounds of hot chocolate, and serving it all within 45 minutes."

Every year, the event consists of three options for racers, a 5k course, a 5-mile course, and a shorter event for kids, called the "Tot Trot."

Two military veterans were honored this week for their community service at the Kentucky Veterans of the Year annual banquet, hosted by the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana.

Brownsville resident Mike Stoyonovich and Jo Ann Orr of Louisville each received a 2022 Veteran of the Year award. Guest speaker and the first Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame inductee, the Rev. Dr. James Thurman, said many veterans return home after honorable service only to see their fellow veterans struggling to meet basic needs. He said homelessness continues to be a top issue among vets.

"What really prompted me was to see those veterans on the street, sleeping in cardboard boxes and begging for food," said Thurman, coordinator with Kentucky State Veterans and a volunteer for AARP Kentucky. "After having served their nation, it just didn't seem right to me."

Kentucky veterans without shelter should call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for assistance. Those without phone or internet access can visit their closest VA medical center. According to the Housing Assistance Council, military veterans make up nearly 8% of Kentucky's population.

Advocacy groups across the state also are working to increase suicide-prevention resources. A 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that on average, 17 veterans a day chose to end their lives. Thurman said he wants them to know there is support available. He encouraged them to research local chapters of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"We work with all of those organizations to help file claims for veterans," he said. "We work with homeless veterans. And here in the City of Lexington, we even formed a Veterans Service Commission."

This year, AARP also launched a new publication, called Veteran Report, that aims to raise awareness about issues facing vets and their families.