Middle TN volunteer first responder hanging up his badge at 73 years old
NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee isn’t known as the Volunteer State for nothing. It’s a statewide sense of pride that serves as a calling for many, including Nick Wolkonsky, who became a volunteer first responder late into life.
Now 73 years old, Wolkonsky worked in Corporate America for most of his life. He was a senior national account manager for a big security firm. Then, around the time he turned 60, Wolkonsky retired from the rat race and did what so many Tennesseans do: volunteer.
“It wasn’t so much a career change. I had a career, but I wanted to really do something to give back to the community, and I really felt the community has been good to me,” Wolkonsky said. “I had a good life, a good home, a good family, and I wanted to do something more productive.”
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Wolkonsky told News 2 he has worked for free for the last 13 years as a reserve police officer, K9 handler, and rescue squad member. Wolkonsky said he has worked in Livingston and Millersville, but his most recent position was with the Nolensville Police Department.
“Being a police officer wasn’t so much riding in a police car with lights on and giving tickets. I created programs that help the elderly, and I really felt an accomplishment — actually a lot more than I felt in my actual job that I did before I retired,” the 73-year-old explained.
According to Nolensville Police Chief Roddy Parker, Wolkonsky was instrumental in building the department’s manpower to eight reserves.
“Nick started our Senior Assurance Program that checks on our senior citizens that might need help. He left a lasting legacy of service to the citizens,” Parker added.
Through it all, Wolkonsky said he has never taken a dime.
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“There’s a lot of fulfillment that you get from volunteering, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that when you’re giving back something to the community, when you’re doing something worthwhile, it really is very fulfilling,” he said.
After 13 years of protecting, serving, and making a difference in others’ lives, Wolkonsky is hanging up his badge to enjoy time with his family.
“I think there’s only a select amount of people that actually do volunteer. What cuts them different from everybody else is that they’re willing to sacrifice,” he explained. “I mean, we’re not getting paid. Money isn’t everything. It’s a satisfaction you get out of doing something for people. I think that really is what it’s all about.”
Wolkonsky told News 2 he’s going to miss all the other brave men and women he’s worked with over the years, those who put the needs of others ahead of their own.
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