Retired Noblesville Engineer Becomes Full-Time Volunteer

Written by

CICOA honors Lamar Ziegler as 2019 Senior Volunteer of the Year

After people retire, they often spend their time golfing, traveling or working on a hobby. Not Lamar Ziegler. The 70-year-old from Noblesville often can be found repairing a roof or installing a grab bar, fixing loose deck boards or repairing a leaking faucet. When Lamar retired from civil engineering in 2015, he became a full-time volunteer working more than six days a week helping low-income and elderly homeowners in Hamilton County.

Lamar doesn’t volunteer for praise or awards; however, the work he’s doing and the difference he’s making in the lives of seniors has not gone unnoticed. CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions named Lamar its 2019 Senior Volunteer of the Year.

Each year CICOA selects one central Indiana volunteer who is 65 or older and is giving back in the community. Nancy Schell, director of operations at the Shepherd’s Center in Hamilton County, nominated Ziegler.

“Lamar is compassionate, dependable and responsive,” she said. “His skills bring our seniors much relief, and everybody loves him.”

Called to lend a helping hand

In addition to volunteering at Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County, he also volunteers for all kinds of organizations throughout Hamilton County, including Habitat for Humanity, HAND and SERVE Noblesville, where he’s a board member. He’s vice president of Christmas in Action of Hamilton County and has led a home repair mission to Henderson Settlement in Kentucky. The dedicated volunteer has led mission trips to Liberia, West Africa and worked on teams to help with rebuilding efforts in South Carolina after Hurricane Andrew and in Joplin, Mo., after tornadoes. He’s been to Oklahoma City three times working on housing for recovering addicts.

When he’s not doing home repairs, you might find him volunteering at Conner Prairie or selling corn at the Indiana State Fair for the Lions Club of Washington Township in Indianapolis.

He learned the importance of volunteering growing up on a farm in Huntington County surrounded by extended family. If anyone needed help, someone always pitched in, he said.

Lamar began volunteering 40 years ago with Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Noblesville, when he started making simple home repairs for church members in need. That grew to missionary trips across the U.S. and around the world. He has built homes in Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Mexico, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.

“Other people’s needs are always more important and greater than mine,” he said. “Their smiles are priceless.”

Using his unique skills in the community

That’s what keeps him going as many as seven days a week. He often works with a couple of other volunteers or leads an entire crew. The only thing he won’t tackle are roofs on two-story houses and anything involving natural gas.

“My unique niche is I have access to lots of materials for free, so I do all the project coordination, make sure tools are there, batteries are charged, there are enough screws and driver bits to fasten what we fasten and do the clean up after,” he said. “I’m the only guy I know in Hamilton County who’s doing that.”

Because of that, he’s always looking for more volunteers to pitch in.

(Pictured left to right: Volunteer Coordinator Tara DeBoo, Lamar Ziegler, Kay Ziegler)

Are you handy with a hammer?

CICOA is always looking for volunteers to help seniors with small home repairs and safety home modification projects.


More News & Stories

Senior man on the phone

Changes to Indiana’s Long-Term Care Assessment Process Starting July 1, 2025

Beginning July 1, 2025, Indiana is implementing the next phase of changes to how individuals are assessed for long-term care services. These updates are designed to streamline access to support for those needing nursing facility care or home- and community-based...
Private pay care management services for Central Indiana older adults and family caregivers

Expanding Our Reach and Sustaining Impact with Private Pay Solutions

Our community is always changing, and so are the ways we support older adults and people with disabilities. We're seeing growing needs and limited resources, and it's clear that adapting is crucial for all of us involved in health and...
A smiling young woman helps her senior mother carry fresh groceries outside a store, exemplifying family care and support.

Are You a Caregiver? Why Recognizing Your Role Matters More Than You Think

Hi there, fellow caregivers! Today, I want to talk about something incredibly vital, yet often overlooked: identifying yourself as a caregiver. Caregiving often unfolds as a quiet journey, starting with small acts of kindness that slowly grow. It can be...