'It is never too late' to volunteer

When an older person walks into Chicago's Bethel New Life wishing they could minister to those in need — but thinking they may be too old to make a difference, Annie Mae Liddell is there with an answer.

"It is never too late," said the 85-year-old Liddell. "They can help me make a quilt to be raffled for a fundraiser. And if they can't do that we'll find something. They are needed, and they can help."

And when Liddell speaks, people listen, because she has spent decades assisting others. A community activist for Bethel New Life, a social ministry organization of the ELCA, she has done a bit of almost everything, including help build homes through Habitat for Humanity. "Jimmy Carter even came once, and I got to work with him," she said. "He was here about two weeks, with Rosalynn and Amy."