Volunteer finds friendship and purpose through Tiburon Peninsula Village

Bill Brinkman has been volunteering for Tiburon Peninsula Village for seven years, spending a few hours a week driving area seniors like Marlis Miglietta to appointments or errands or helping out with other tasks. The group, part of Marin Villages, aims to enable aging residents to feel safe, comfortable and confident at home. (Clara Lu / For The Ark)

Teri Kuhns says she looks forward to seeing Bill Brinkman every time he fulfills one of her requests through Tiburon Peninsula Village, a group dedicated to helping local residents remain in their homes as they age.

As a volunteer for the group, Brinkman has driven Kuhns, 90, to appointments and helped out with other small tasks around her Belvedere home, including resetting her electric stove when it wouldn’t stop beeping.

But what Kuhns says she enjoys about the visits is not just the help she receives but the camaraderie. She and Brinkman chat, laugh and listen to music, she says, and he feels like a friend.

“We just get to know each other, and it’s in the most wonderful way,” Kuhns says. “These are the kind of people you want for friends, people who donate their time, so you’re in wonderful company.”

Longtime Tiburon resident Brinkman, 79, has been a volunteer with Tiburon Peninsula Village for about seven years now. He typically spends a few hours a week driving area seniors to medical appointments or to run errands. He’ll change light bulbs, make minor plumbing adjustments, assemble furniture and help with other tasks that enable aging residents to feel safe, comfortable and confident at home.

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