Arlene Kepplin loved volunteering so much at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville that she did so for more than two decades.

Her remarkable span began in 1998; she kept going strong until the pandemic in 2020 severely limited all volunteerism at Yountville—and at all other seven Veterans Homes. The majority of Kepplin’s volunteerism was at the Memorial Chapel, located on the Yountville campus: she played the piano during services and assisted the chaplain in organizing church services and events.

Kepplin gave roughly 1,000 hours each year to the veteran community she loved so much. This is the equivalent to 125 eight-hour days and nearly 2,750 days during the 22-plus years she volunteered.

In 2017, she became the 23^rd individual inducted into Yountville Veterans Home Hall of Fame. She continued her volunteer work at the Home until just two years before she died at 96 in November 2023.

“Her favorite service was to play gospel songs for the Memory Care Unit,” her obituary in the Napa Valley Register read.

CalVet pays tribute to Kepplin for all that she did and for all whom she inspired to volunteer as well.

In the coming months, CalVet Connect will share stories of some of the 300 or so people currently volunteering their time, talents, and energies at our Veterans Homes.

You’ll read about the joy and gratification they receive from helping the veterans and their spouses, and the friendships they develop. You’ll learn what compels them to serve and perhaps you’ll consider volunteering as well.  

“Our volunteers improve the lives of the veterans and their spouses each day,” Yountville Administrator Lisa Peake said.

“The residents and staff appreciate and cherish what they bring to our Home. They are part of the fabric of this campus. We welcome and honor their dedication. They make the Yountville Home a better place, as I’m sure they do at all of CalVet’s Veterans Homes,” Peake said.

All volunteers are vetted through fingerprinting, tuberculosis testing, and go through an orientation course when they sign on. They can help in a wide variety of ways throughout a Home.

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This is the first in a series of stories about volunteers in our Veterans Homes—volunteers serving veterans. For more information on the Homes, and to volunteer at a specific Home, visit www.calvet.ca.gov/calvet-programs/veteran-homes for contact information. Ask for the volunteer coordinator.

The Veterans Homes of California system of care offers affordable long-term care to older and disabled veterans as well as their eligible spouses and domestic partners. With eight facilities across the state, the services offered range from assisted living programs with minimal support to 24-hour skilled nursing care for veterans with significant clinical needs including memory care.

CalVet staff are uniquely capable of serving the needs of our veterans and provide an environment that honors their service to the country. The Veterans Homes are nationally recognized for the premier care and services they provide to California’s veterans. ​

Would you like the opportunity to serve veterans in your work? Join the CalVet team! We are dedicated to ensuring that veterans from every era, along with their families, receive the state and federal benefits and services they have earned and deserve due to their selfless and honorable military service. At CalVet, we prioritize serving veterans and their families with dignity, compassion, and a commitment to helping them achieve the highest quality of life. See our current career opportunities at www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalVet.