Whenever Dorothy Lipps volunteers to work in the tiny store inside the Veterans Home of California-Redding, she comes dressed for the part.

“I’m very patriotic,” said Lipps, who began helping out at the Home seven years ago. “I always wear red, white, and blue. My two sisters and I always have done that, even when we were in high school.”

They all married military men, and Dorothy herself planned to join the Air Force if she didn’t find a job within a month of her high school graduation. She did, and went on to work for PG&E for 43 years before retiring in 2007. She later volunteered at a local blood bank before bringing her smile and enthusiasm to the Redding Veterans Home in 2017.

Hence, Dorothy’s familiarity with so many who served makes her a natural when it comes to serving the Home’s veterans and their spouses. She assists Jackie Cottrell, the Home’s Volunteer Coordinator, to make sure the store is stocked with items that are important to the residents who can’t always venture outside of the Home to shop at supermarkets and big box stores.

“We’ll go out shopping for the store; she knows that Bob needs this, Jeff needs that,” Cottrell said. “Without her, we couldn’t keep the place afloat.”

Lipps works in the store Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“It’s a very small general store, next to the barber shop,” Lipps said. “One guy comes in every day to buy an ice cream. We joke back and forth, and they enjoy it. I do, too. There’s also another veteran who comes in to buy something several times a day.”

It brings her great pleasure, but also reminds her of what could have been if she hadn’t gotten a job a month after high school.

“This is my way of being in the service,” said Lipps. “I’m serving these guys and gals here at the Home.”

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This is one of 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.