Retired veteran finds new mission volunteering at senior center

Share Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google PHOENIX ( InvestigateTV ) — A Valley Army veteran is spending his post-military and post-retirement years volunteering at a Phoenix senior center, offering companionship and practical help to seniors who have few other resources. Robert Lane can be found at the Desert West Senior Center in the Maryvale neighborhood Monday through Friday, from morning until late afternoon. Lane enlisted in the Army in the late 1970s, shortly after the Vietnam War ended, as part of an effort known as Operation Babylift . “They flew me and a couple guys out to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and we fed all the Vietnamese women and babies there,” Lane said. He has continued feeding people since — now serving hotdogs and nachos at the senior center. Lane also takes seniors grocery shopping, drives them to doctor appointments, and spends time with them at the center. It is all part of the Senior Companion Program , which is an AmeriCorps Seniors service through Northern Arizona University. “Making them laugh and just the joy in their face, that’s what it’s all about,” Lane said. “Because sometimes, some of them have nobody. Nobody at home and nobody to take care of them.” Lane has been a regular at the center for nearly four years, and his energy is infectious. “He is a huge source of encouragement because he really lifts our spirits,” Daniel Flores said in Spanish. “He gives us everything we need and helps us a lot.” Lane’s wife, Synthia, inspired him to begin volunteering and is also a fixture at the center. “This is where we’re just going to plant it until there’s no more retirement (and) we’re totally out of it,” she said. “We’re just not ready to give up yet.” Synthia said she is typically working in the office while her husband engages with seniors on the floor as a “social butterfly.” Lane has also picked up some Spanish during his time there since many of the seniors only speak Spanish. He occasionally performs as Elvis for the senior center crowd. “You come on down to the senior center and you can see Elvis here saying, ‘You ain’t nothing but a hound dog,’” Lane said. “Thank you very much.” Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.