Molly Mangold

Have you ever heard the expression “Good things come in small packages”? If you have, you can bet that it was said with 86 year old Molly Mangold in mind. For the last 22 years, Molly has volunteered as a Foster Grandparent at Ponderosa Elementary in Billings, Montana where she has influenced the lives of hundreds of at-risk children. Molly, originally from England, married an American G.I. after WW II and in 1946 left her family for a new life in the United States. Molly’s husband passed away in 1984 and though it would be easy to sit at home and grieve, Molly’s independent spirit “kicked in” and in her words she decided to” get off my duff and do something. I had enough of feeling gloomy and needed to live life on my own.”

Molly has served more than 16,000 hours during her 22 years and has seen many changes at the school. The one thing that remains constant, however, is the feeling she gets when she’s able to help the children. When asked what she likes best about volunteering, Molly says,” Getting those big hugs from the kids. How lucky can you be”.