BETTY DIXON

OF BROOKLYN PARK

About the volunteer: Several days a week, Ms. Dixon volunteers at Park Elementary School in Brooklyn Park, the same school in which she was secretary for 17 years. She helps around the office and assists students.

In April, she was named a finalist for the JCPenny Golden Rule Volunteer Awards.

Volunteer's comment: "I enjoy it so much. I think if more parents would volunteer in the school they would enjoy it as much as I do," says Ms. Dixon, who has lived in Brooklyn Park for 45 years.

School's comments: Nancy Wagner, a fifth-grade teacher at Park Elementary and the one who nominated Ms. Dixon for the Golden Rule Award, says she "is a good person as a liaison between parents and the school."

"When parents come up here, they're much more at ease to talk to her," she says. "The students feel very comfortable with her as well. They see her around the neighborhood, at the grocery store and so forth.

"Her generosity and willingness to give . . . have endeared her to students and faculty alike. From buying lunch for a crying child to typing papers for a frazzled teacher, Ms. Dixon does whatever is needed. She has been known to walk home to get a spare jacket for a child seen coming to school without one or to discreetly leave field trip money for a child who otherwise couldn't afford to go.

"Perhaps the children's greatest reassurance lies in the simple comfort of just knowing that Ms. Dixon is there."

"Volunteer Spotlight" is compiled by Kevin Harrison. To recommend someone, call the Anne Arundel Bureau, 315-8911, any time or fax information to 315-8916 or mail it to: The Sun for Anne Arundel, 8131 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, Md. 21122.