Retiree volunteers to keep city blooms hydrated

When Brandon Valley kids headed back to classes last week, Brandon retiree Howard Brown didn’t want to see the blooming flowers along Holly Boulevard come to an end. So the now-retired postal clerk has taken on the role as Brandon’s first “official” volunteer. 

 

“Every year, I see these beautiful flowers and by the time the kids go back to school, they tear them down, which is kind of disappointing because they’re so beautiful,” Brown said. “I was glad to see Devin Coughlin (city parks and rec supervisor) post that they needed somebody to water them, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m one who complains about it, so I’ll water them.’”

Volunteering comes naturally to Brown, who says watering the flowers along Holly is one of his four current “jobs.”

“I have two that pay and two that don’t pay,” he informs.

His two volunteer endeavors are both seasonal: Watering the flowers three times a week and volunteering for next month’s Sanford International golf tournament.

Brown also works part-time at the Valley Springs I-90 rest stop and the Sanford Premier Center, the latter, which has been limited because of COVID-19.

“The four jobs that I do are things that I like to do,” Brown said. “I don’t care about the pay. They are things that I enjoy doing. I get to meet people and keep the city beautiful.”
 
Once his seasonal work comes to an close, Brown has plans on how he’ll fill the free time.

“I like to hunt so I’ll be out hunting,” he said.