by Tom York
(First is a series on Super Volunteers)
As most every member in the association knows, volunteers are essential to running the Member Shop.
They do everything from putting in time on shop clean-up to supervising shifts to make sure safety comes first, not to mention the many volunteers needed to maintain the well-used shop’s machines.
But among the many who donate their time and energy, there are the few who really step up and go beyond what’s expected.
These “super volunteers” are the people who always do more than their fair share to keep the multiple functions of the shop humming.
Oi Ling Kwan stands out as one of our super volunteers.
Oi Ling’s story is all the more impressive given that the Hong Kong native started out as a student in Member Shop’s very first Introduction to Woodworking class five years ago.
She has gone on to compile a long resume of activities as a volunteer at the Member Shop. And in the process, she’s become quite the adept craftsperson herself.
To start off at the beginning of this year, Oi Ling is one of the few volunteers (along with Dan Gonda, Mark Humphries, Mary Russo, and John Goodridge) leading the weekly build for the Holiday Gift Sale, which raises thousands of dollars each November that go toward offsetting the expense of running the Member Shop.
And Oi Ling often serves as a teaching assistant for those Intro classes, which have become wildly popular with a long waiting list. She’s served as a TA for at least a dozen classes to date.
But that’s the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Before the Covid-19 crisis struck two years ago, Oi Ling took part in Jim Strawn’s weekly toy build group.
She was a regular in other “community builds,” such as the Little Libraries, which built free-standing lending libraries for young readers in East San Diego’s underserved neighborhoods. And she helped build folding desks for local disadvantaged students, giving them a place to study. The effort led by Kurt Kummel.
Currently, she can be seen rushing around the Member Shop as one of the members helping to build new cabinets for the Shop 3.0 expansion.
And that’s still not all, she helps maintain the shop’s Special Interest Group calendar, serves as a Shift Supervisor for the shop and a member of the HOST pool.
Last, but not least, Oi Ling is active in Women Who Woodworking, which now boasts more than 100 members.
She said she’s gratified that so many women, especially younger women are joining the Member Shop as well as the group.
“Women are becoming an important part in the association as well as the activities at the Member Shop,” she says. “It’s no longer just old white guys doing everything.”
“Younger people want to learn skills,” she adds. “A four-year degree really doesn’t get you much of practical experience in dealing with everyday life.”
Oi Ling’s back story is an interesting one.
After retiring from the UC San Diego Medical Center as Medical & Technical Director, Oi Ling wanted an outlet to tap into her fascination with wood.
“I had always done things with my hands, such a knitting and crocheting, and woodworking appealed to me,” she says.
So, she signed up for the first Introduction to Woodworking class offered in the just-launched member shop.
Oi Ling recalls that the class proved to be a “bit of challenge.”
But Oi Ling was determined to find success, despite the challenges of learning new skills with new equipment.
So, she took classes at Palomar College, where she says she was able to build her knowledge in the school’s woodworking class offerings.
And over the past five years, she’s also learned a ton from the other members while working on their varied projects.
When the shop puts out a call volunteers, Oi Ling invariably is one of the first to step forward, which accounts for the fact she has become so active and has been given important duties to keep the shop humming along.
“You get back more than what you give,” Oi Ling says. “I don’t want to be singled out for recognition, in fact, I’d rather stay in the background.”
She enjoys interacting with students and seeing them learning about our craft.
“It’s so satisfying to see that smile on their face,” she says.
When she’s in the shop, it’s obvious that she’s a mentor to the younger women and men who have joined the association in recent years.
She’s an inspiration to those following in her footsteps after completing her intro classes.
Oi Ling says she focuses much of her volunteer energy co-leading the Friday gift builds
“I get to see many members and find out what they are making,” she says. “I learn so much from everyone.”
Gary Anderson, who led the establishment of the Member Shop, says it’s obvious that Oi Ling “loves to make things out of wood…you can just see the joy on her face,”
“She is one of our silent heroes–always willing to help out, volunteering without waiting to be asked,” he adds. “She has volunteered for more events than I can remember.”
Assistant Shop Director Sharon Sykora, who knew Oi Ling in her other activities, says she has always led by example, and has proved an inspiration to the younger women—and men–taking up the craft of woodworking.
“Not only has she pursued additional classes at the shop and at Palomar,” says Sykora, “But she has willingly taken on many additional roles, such as TA’ing the into classes, leading the Holiday Gift builds, supervising shifts at the Member Shop and participating in the many activities of Women Who Woodwork.”
“Her attention to detail is evident in her woodworking projects, not to mention her perpetual calm and extreme patience make her a favorite with everyone around her.”
“Oi Ling is a favorite TA for both the instructors and students,” notes Shop Director Dallas Keck. “She patiently coaches students who are learning new procedures in the shop.”
“Her passion for woodworking is obvious to everyone,” Keck adds. “She is a key member of our woodworking community, and she inspires other members with her creative projects. And finally, Oi Ling is a joy to work with.”
“We are so lucky to have had Oi Ling in our community,” says Travis Good, former club President now Member at Large for the SDFWA board. She has learned so much from being involved– the perfect role model for our “super volunteers.’”
Written by Tom York
Author of our “Super Volunteers” series.
Daily newspaper reporter and editor for years and years.