Judene Hartless has been a volunteer for many years, and nothing pleases her more than volunteering with children’s groups.

A resident of Lake Prince Woods retirement community and a regular volunteer at Growing Up at Obici childcare center, Hartless enlisted the assistance of two other residents as a special treat for the children.

Ryland Ammons, who holds a master’s degree in French, accompanied Hartless recently, and the two did a French lesson for the children in the summer program. Showing them where France was by pointing to the country on a globe, Hartless read portions of the book, “The Little Prince,” and Ammons translated it in French.  They also helped the children learn numbers and phrases and pronounce their names in French.

Another resident, Mary Beth Dale, who is also a docent at the Chrysler Museum, shared Egyptian history through pictures of Egyptian artifacts.  She and Hartless also helped the children write their names on strips of papyrus using hieroglyphics.

Hartless’ second-favorite place to volunteer is in libraries. For a number of years, she volunteered at the Sentara Obici Hospital medical library and combined her love of children and books by volunteering at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy library.

“Outreach into the larger community is a hallmark of Lake Prince Woods residents,” Susan Stone, LPW’s director of development and public relations stated in a press release. “Their impact is felt in many organizations in Suffolk.”