Jennie Sue Pearson volunteers so much of her time, she barely has enough left to fill out her time sheet and turn it in. Volunteers with Volunteer Frederick are required to turn in a sheet each month documenting their hours, but Pearson's doesn't always meet the deadline. If her time sheet comes in the mail a few days late, no one can hold it against her. Over the past three years, she has volunteered more than 2,000 hours. In 2007 and 2008, Pearson received the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award for volunteering at least 500 hours each year. She will receive another pin, commemorating the award, in September to recognize her volunteer efforts in 2009. "I've always loved people, and people have helped me throughout my lifetime," Pearson said. "I feel like I really want to give something back to the community and to the people." Pearson, 82, volunteers through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program with Volunteer Frederick . RSVP is a nationwide program that encourages Americans 55 and older to volunteer in their community. Pearson has volunteered at locations such as Hospice, Goodwill, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and the Weinberg Center. The avid volunteer is also a lymphoma cancer survivor of seven years. "I'm a survivor of cancer, and I figured the good Lord left me here to do something," she said. "I'm going to do the best I can for other people and for him." Pearson has also served as international president of the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies in 1973. With the Rebekahs, Pearson traveled the country and the world representing the International Rebekah Assemblies from North America. Within the organization, she has been the chairman of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows' annual pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Unknowns. Pearson has led the pilgrimage for the past 22 years and was the first female appointed as chairwoman. Today, Pearson volunteers once a week at the Citizens Care & Rehabilitation Center gift shop. She used to be president of the Citizens auxiliary. As president she would lead meetings and functions to raise money needed for residents. She is also a member of Seniors And Law Enforcement Together, which she has been a part of since the late 1990s. SALT is a joint venture by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and senior citizens in Frederick to improve the quality of life for senior citizens with a focus on crime-related issues. Pearson served as president of the Frederick Woman's Civic Club from 2008 to 2010, and she is still an active member of the club as an adviser today. As club president, she helped to raise money through bingo games and other events to fund scholarships for qualified students. This year, the club donated $7,500 to Daybreak in Frederick . "It's like self-satisfaction, I've done something to help somebody, and I feel like I'm here to do something," she said. She also served as the president of the Frederick AARP chapter. Professionally, Pearson worked for 16 years as an assistant manager with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration in College Park. On her way home, she would stop at the nursing home to visit her mother, then be back to Frederick at night for class. Pearson graduated from Frederick Community College in 1987 with a general studies degree. After graduation, she inquired about joining an alumni association, but the college didn't have one. Teaming up with friends, Pearson was instrumental in starting the association. She later served as the president of the group for six years. Throughout Pearson's professional and volunteer experiences, she has started at the bottom and worked her way to the top -- whether it be at the MVA rising all the way to assistant manager or joining the Rebekahs in 1955 and becoming the international president in 1973. "I don't think that anything you get, if you don't work for it and you don't prove yourself that you deserve it, you shouldn't have it," Pearson said. *Originally published in The Frederick News-Post on July 14, 2010.