More than 90 senior citizens, one or two from each county in the state, were honored by the New York State Office for the Aging for their volunteer work in their communities. In the final part of our series, we spotlight a woman in Erie County who, at 85, continues to make a difference in the lives of others.

It’s fair to say that Mary Haas, 85, of East Amherst holds the key to something near and dear to her heart.

For the last 24 years, she's been volunteering at the Gift Gallery inside Heathwood Assistant Living and Memory Care, where she has spent the last four decades coming in a couple of days a week to spend time with others.

"And what keeps me going is the residents,” Haas said. “I just like helping them.”

Haas does the buying and the hiring for the gift shop that went from being open five days a week to three since the pandemic.

"A lot of the residents are buying for Christmas, and they're kind of excited when they see something that's Christmasy they can buy for their relatives,” Haas said.

She was one of 94 older Americans recently honored virtually by the New York State Office for the Aging for her vast volunteer resume.

"Well, it's very rewarding and it’s also very humbling basically because I do it because I like doing it,” she said. “I don't do it because I want to get recognition for it. That's just, I guess, an added bonus.”

State leaders recognized Haas for her service over the years at a local senior center, her church and several other charitable organizations, which she still supported amid the pandemic.

"A lot of our volunteers are older themselves. In fact, most of them are,” New York State Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen said. “And what they didn't do is stay home. They put themselves at risk and many volunteers do this because they're so committed to their community. I don't know how we would have gotten through the pandemic without this core group of volunteers that we have.”

In addition to running the gift shop, Haas can also be found setting up a small Catholic church service for residents there, complete with her handing out rosary beads and leading the group in prayer. After a long day, she heads home to spend time with her husband, Jerome, of 66 years, and long-time volunteer with the local fire department.

"My husband is a very busy person and I'm not going to sit home and watch soap operas so I decided to do something else," Haas said.

That something else has earned Haas a number of awards and accolades over the years including being named a Daily Point of Light from then, now late-President George W. Bush in 2002.

Haas says while the pandemic has slowed her efforts a bit, she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

"Unless I have to for help. I really don't want to, so it keeps me active,” she said. “You're just waiting to die basically. And I still want to live so and help others at the same time.”

In her spare time, she enjoys working on puzzles or spending time with her large family.

Haas was one of two nominated out of Erie County from the local county Office for the Aging.