Helen Lodge
When Helen Lodge was in college, her mother once said: "You would feel left out if an epidemic passed you by." She was referring to Helen's campus participation, the same selfless spirit that Helen has carried throughout her life. Exuding tireless energy, elegance and grace, her two great passions remain: volunteerism and dietetics.
"If you're going to live in a community, you should do something with it other than be employed," Helen says. "When I feel passionate about something, I will work to see it through. I inspire others to volunteer because if you don't, when you go, it goes with you."
Helen, a Montgomery native, is wellknown for her local and national service to the arts community, higher education, humanitarian causes and her profession of dietetics. A retired health-care food service administrator at Charleston Area Medical Center, Helen is anything but 'retired.' Some weeks she works more than 60 hours on various boards and projects.
On the national level, Helen served a seven-year term on the American Symphony Orchestra League's Volunteer Council, whose mission is to provide leadership counseling to the 900 U.S. orchestra volunteer organizations. Fundraising for various non-profits, her creativity and leadership have resulted in $1.25 million for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. "Man does not live by bread alone," she says. "Music is nutrition for the soul."
A Jewish convert, Helen is active in B'Nai Jacob Synagogue and the Jewish community, promoting awareness and advocating for interfaith collaborations. She has devoted herself to a lengthy list of other organizations, including the American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, WV Board of Licensed Dietitians and WV Arts Commission, where she just completed her tenth year.
Helen has received numerous awards for volunteerism, but her greatest achievements are those individuals who follow her path. When she came to Charleston in 1968, she planned on staying a year and then moving on. Today she cannot fathom leaving the community so deeply embedded with her compassion, initiative and love.
