Meet the Michigan man who’s been ‘making a difference’ for over 60 years

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - David Baur is a man of many talents.

He’s a tenor in the Delta Community Choir and a dedicated folk dancer with friends on the weekends. When he’s not dancing and singing, David Baur is busy volunteering.

It all started in 1962 when Baur says he answered the call from President John F. Kennedy, ”Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

What David Baur did was join the very first group of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers to be deployed overseas.

“I started out as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa,” Baur recalls.

At age 22, he went from schools in West Africa to teaching students in Southeast Asia.

“Every evening and weekend, I worked with Laotian students teaching English to them,” Baur says.

That was 60 years ago. Now, he teaches math to 5th graders at Lansing’s Cumberland Elementary School, where he gets to know each student personally.

“I know how to help each one, because I know them as a person,” Baur says.

For Baur, it all adds up to a rewarding experience. For teacher Teresa Henderson, it’s a plus when he decides to stick around and help her with her science lesson as well.

“When he’s not doing other things in the community, he helps with that too,” said Henderson.

From helping kids with math to helping organize the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s mobile food pantry, Baur’s wide-ranging community service hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In November 2024, he received an award from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Community Service Commission for being the “Older Adult Volunteer of the Year,” recognizing his decades of community service.

At age 85, Baur isn’t slowing down and says every day he looks for ways to get out of the house and help other people.

“I just discovered helping other people was very enjoyable, and I could make a difference,” Baur says.

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