Jean-Claude and Christine are very involved in community life, it is with the Secours Populaire de Rennes, that they give all their time, for their pleasure, that of the children and their parents. We were able to meet these hyperactive retirees, despite their ministerial agenda.
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[Article précédemment diffusé le 19 décembre 2023]
“Where are my clients? I have mobile clients, very very mobile!” laughs Jean-Claude Roger, 75 years old, as mobile as his “clients” from Secours Populaire de Rennes. He got involved in it six years ago now. Since his retirement, this former Telecoms technician has gone about his days with a bang. Barely time to speak to us, he is caught by another customer to whom he makes “a little ticket” for him to pay.
They took the ticket for volunteering together with their partner Christine Morette, 68 years old, ex-librarian. Just like him, she doesn’t have a minute to stop. She takes care of the toys and books section at Secours Populaire. That’s good, she knows books: “Are you looking for Amélie Nothomb?” she asks? Although she has arranged books in alphabetical order all her life, she refuses to do so here. On the other hand, she is always up for a reading advice.
Employment of seniors. “Outdated”, they found their place in a company
This whole associative adventure started… from a bike, as Jean-Claude tells us: “I first came to Secours Populaire through a friend, to buy a bike! And this friend said to me: ‘do you have some free time? Are you coming to join us?’ And that’s when Christine had just retired, so we said, let’s go!”.
Next to Secours Populaire, there are the grandchildren, nine between them, including Eliot, 7 years old, in CE1 class, whom they regularly welcome into their home. Impossible to escape a game of “Puissance 4”, a game he loves. The parts follow one another and they always end with a little voice and shining eyes: “Shall we do another one?” Hard to resist.
My grandfather was very involved, my grandmother too, my uncle, my aunt the same, all were involved in the community life of the village.
They also do homework with him. And certain words to be learned by the schoolchild, such as “brave” or “courageous” resonate more than others in the heads of these retirees. Courage is a founding value for them.
Jean-Claude is from the north and solidarity is part of his DNA: “My grandparents worked in the factory, he remembers. My grandfather was very involved, my grandmother too, my uncle, my aunt, the same, all were involved in the community life of the village. This is what I knew when I was little and which fascinated me. I am convinced that this is what allowed people to get along well and live better than what we can experience today.”
For her part, Christine was also involved in all the battles: “After 1968, at the end of high school and then at university, I began to be active in left-wing organizations, relate-t-elle. I was part of a group defending women’s rights, and afterwards, I was involved in trade unionism in the city of Rennes. It was another form of commitment, less politicized, but closer to everyday life.”she concludes.
With Christine, we each got cancer at age 62, men’s cancer and women’s cancer in fact. From that moment on, we always said that we would not stop, that we would continue to be active and give a little time.
Jean-Claude and ChristineRetirees
A strong community commitment for Christine and Jean-Claude, also reinforced by the ups and downs of life: “With Christine, we each got cancer at 62, explains Jean-Claude. Men’s cancer and women’s cancer in fact. And so, from that moment on, we always said that we wouldn’t stop, that we would continue to be active in life and give a little time.”.
A little, even a lot of time. Both are also engaged in another fight: access to culture for all. Jean-Claude, raised in popular education, is the co-founder of “Quartiers en scene”, a festival organized by the Cercle Paul-Bert, with the support of the City of Rennes.
Today, he has scheduled a fact-finding visit to the Blosne district, where with others, he has given himself a mission. “We have to manage to bring these people down from the towers, and tell them that we are bringing a great show to their doorstep. We have already had some fantastic evenings here and the room was full.”
For her part, Christine, the book lover, coordinates the “Donnez à lire” operation with Secours Populaire and around twenty independent bookstores in Ille-et-Vilaine.
Night begins to fall. Time flies too quickly. During the week, Christine and Jean-Claude will return to help at Secours Populaire, because we also have to manage the reception of donors and do some repairs too. And here again, Jean-Claude’s DIY skills are welcome. Jean-Claude who, screwdriver in hand in front of this wicker trunk, confides: “We repair objects as much as humans, you know”.
