One Google Search, Nine Years Later: Volunteer Spotlight on Annalee Baim

When Annalee Baim retired in 2017 after 16 years as a paraprofessional in special education at Cornwall-Lebanon School District, she quickly realized she wasn’t ready to slow down.

“I couldn’t just sit around,” she said.

So, like many people looking for a meaningful way to spend their time, Annalee turned to Google and searched for volunteer opportunities. Cornwall Manor appeared in the results, and she decided to give it a try. Nearly nine years later, she is still serving and making connections with residents through her volunteer work in the Manor Shoppe.

Annalee began volunteering in October 2017 and currently serves as a cashier while also ordering and stocking the Shoppe’s greeting cards. She is a dependable substitute, frequently filling in when other volunteers are unable to work their scheduled shifts.

Annalee treasures the opportunity to get to know residents and hear their stories. She enjoys learning about their life journeys and discovering what brought them to Cornwall Manor.

Born in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, Annalee entered the workforce immediately after graduating from high school. She worked in accounting and later as a secretary at a car dealership before finding her calling in education. Her love for children made her work in special education especially rewarding.

She met her husband, Matt, in a modern-day love story that began online. Their first date took place at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and exactly one year later, Matt proposed in the very same spot. Together they built a life in northern Lebanon County and raised their family. Annalee has a daughter and a son, while Matt continues to work full-time.

Retirement has provided Annalee with more opportunities to enjoy her many hobbies and adventures. An avid traveler, she has explored Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, North Dakota, Michigan, Vermont, and New York’s Finger Lakes region. Upcoming trips include visits to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Massachusetts, where she looks forward to seeing Salem, Boston, and, of course, the famous Cheers bar. Later this year, she plans to travel to northern Pennsylvania to experience elk country.

Annalee and Matt also enjoy taking side-by-side ATV rides together whenever they can.

During the winter months, Annalee becomes a snowbird, spending October through April in a 55-plus community in Florida. There she enjoys some of her favorite pastimes: watching the sunrise over the beach, collecting seashells, relaxing in the pool and soaking up the warm weather.

Back home, Annalee is also a devoted caregiver. She cherishes the time she spends with her father after both of her parents moved in with her. Together they preserve family traditions by canning spaghetti sauce and beets. While she doesn’t consider herself a gardener, she loves visiting roadside stands to purchase fresh produce and preserve it for the winter months.

In her free time, Annalee enjoys playing Mahjong and card games such as Hand and Foot, reading mystery and detective novels by James Patterson, coloring, thrift shopping, and crocheting. One of her favorite crochet projects is creating graphgans, a type of afghan that uses different colored stitches to form detailed pictures or graphic designs within the blanket itself.

Whether she’s greeting customers in the Manor Shoppe, stocking greeting cards, or stepping in to cover an open volunteer shift, Annalee enjoys being part of the Cornwall Manor community. Nearly nine years after she first searched for volunteer opportunities online, she continues to value the friendships she’s made and the conversations she shares with residents. Her willingness to help wherever needed makes her a valued member of the volunteer team.