A+ for this volunteer

ONE of the most active and happy retirees in Wynmoor Village still does a lot of work -- for others. And he's well loved by students.

The student council of Coconut Creek High School has inscribed a community-service award to ``Emanuel (The Godfather) Reiser'' for his years of service to their school, which is just across the road from the Wynmoor complex.

Manny, as his friends call him, first dropped in at the school a few years ago.

``I asked the principal: `What can I do to help the school?' '' he recalls. The answer? Plenty.

He started by collecting money from Wynmoor residents to help the school, for scholarship funds, for example. His ``crowning achievement'' is the selection of three black students and three white students -- as opposed to just whites -- as scholarship recipients this year.

But Mr. Reiser, a retired federal education official, did not stop there. He has recruited about 40 Wynmoor residents to work as teachers' aides, library volunteers, and guidance counselors.

Florida Gov. Bob Graham (D) told the Monitor he hopes the Wynmoor-Coconut Creek High School example will be followed as a ``model'' throughout the state.

``I believe the primary purpose we're here is to help make it a better world,'' Reiser says. ``You do what you can.''