A volunteer worker in Queens who wants to lead by example

WNYC News

Every day in New York City, countless people work quietly behind the scenes to make their community stronger and support their neighbors in need. WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk is spotlighting some of them. We're calling them community champions. Prithipal Khahera is a volunteer at the Queens Community House's Older Adult Center in Forest Hills and has been giving back to his Queens neighborhood for more than two decades.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

I came from India in 1972. Since then, I've worked for MetLife, an insurance company, as a computer programmer. When I retired from MetLife, then I started working as a volunteer in Queens Community House, you know, it's almost 25 years. So, I do everything from food pantry, in the office, in the kitchen. I make a coffee for the staff in the morning too. So, you may name it, I do everything else.

I like to work with the people. Keep me busy all the time. I talk to the people. Different people, different community, different country, you know. Nobody knows my last name. Everybody "Paul, Paul, Paul." Actually, my real name is Prithipal, Indian name. But everybody started calling me, "Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul," and that's it. It makes me a little bit good, you know, feel good.

I'm 82 now and that's why I keep young myself. I never got a single penny 25 years. One day one guy came, "Oh, Paul, I heard that you're working here 25 years and they don't pay you anything. Who pay your bill?" I said, God pay my bills. I'm okay, you know, I used to have good pension, everything good job and I'm managing good.

I want to show that other people, you know, if I can do, you should do, too. Some people, they follow me. They're doing the volunteer. They never did, but now they are doing. So, at least they are learning something from me. I hope I will stay 25 more years, by the time I will be 100 years old.