Villemoustaussou – Nicole and Gérard, volunteering in their blood

It’s difficult to say when Nicole and Gérard Dengo began to get involved in volunteering, as their lives have always been focused on others. He, with a mother who is president of the Marseillette Seniors Club, has been immersed in it since his childhood. A technician at the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea), he has always been keen to be at the service of others, when it was necessary to rebuild after the floods of 1999, in his activity as a trade unionist or when he had responsibility for worker safety. She, secretary at the Departmental Labor Directorate, began volunteering for the first time more than thirty years ago, in 1990 exactly, when she became secretary of the works council. Like her husband, she has a humanist streak, and has therefore never left the associative environment.

Together, they settled in Villemoustaussou in 1982 and they still remember that evening in 1998. As they walked through the village, they saw, right next to La Poste, that a room belonging to the town hall was still lit. They approach and push open the door. They don’t know it yet, but they are preparing to write a long chapter in the history of the Villemoustaussou Blood Donor Association. Inside, the general assembly of the association is held. Gérard finds there, among the ten members, acquaintances from Marseillette who invite them to sit down.

Handover in 2 years

At the end of this, they become treasurer and assistant treasurer. Or when the end of a walk turns out to be the beginning of a great adventure. The years pass and the president at the time, Sylvie Dabirand, wants to give up her place. She involves Gérard in decisions, but the passing of the torch will be sadder and more brutal than expected, with the latter’s disappearance. The couple has both emotional and admiring memories of the work she accomplished. Since 2020, Gérard has assumed the presidency, continuing what she initiated. Nicole becomes treasurer, but she loves human contact more than anything, so she also takes care of welcoming donors during collections, not to mention all the additional tasks. Together, they support each other, and work to keep the Association alive. With around twenty members, they organize the four annual collections which are held in the Brassens room. But all good stories come to an end, and in two years, Nicole and Gérard plan to pass the baton and devote themselves to their seven grandchildren. If you walk around the village the January 31 next time, and you see light at the Aznavour space, don’t hesitate to open the door yourself. The dearest wish of the couple of volunteers is that the history of the Association continues after them.