Everywhere Pat Libby has lived, she's been a volunteer. South Baldwin County is fortunate she and her husband Pete have landed permanently in Foley for their retirement.

The Libbys have lived all over the Southeast, from Virginia to Arkansas to Georgia, and Pat has been involved in just about every organization imaginable, no matter where she lived.

“There's hardly anything I don't like,” she said. “If it's something I feel like I have the talent for and the time for, I'll do it.”

Pat and Pete moved to Foley almost nine years ago after vacationing on Alabama's Gulf Coast for more than 20 years.

“My husband knew all the golf courses down here, and he said this is where he wanted to retire,” she said. “I'm from North Carolina, so I wanted to look at the beaches there, too, but no — we had to have the golf courses down here.”

And Pat is glad she didn't get her way. She said Baldwin County is one of the most welcoming places she's lived, and she was able to get involved immediately, first through her passion for gardening.

Pat had been a Master Gardener for years, but when she moved to south Alabama, she had to retake the Master Gardener course to learn about gardening in Baldwin County's sandy soil and humid climate.

“I was really glad (I retook the class), because it was so vastly different from Arkansas,” Pat said. “There are so many things that are growing all the time here that you can only grow during certain seasons there, but there are other things you can grow there that you can't grow here at all.”

Pat, who is also a certified flower show judge, also joined the Gulf Shores Garden Club soon after relocating, and she recently finished a three-year term as president.

Because of her involvement in gardening organizations, she was recommended by a fellow Master Gardener for the Foley Beautification Committeee and was then invited to be part of Foley's Centennial Board. She is helping organize the 2015 Centennial Celebration and is involved in the planning and fundraising for Foley's highly anticipated Centennial plaza and 52-foot clock tower.

Pat was integral in the creation of the Foley Centennial Christmas ornaments, which depict the clock tower and Foley's Centennial dates.

“Coming up with the Christmas ornament was my baby,” Pat said. “I called down to Weeks Bay, because they have ornaments. I got in touch with who they used, and they were the nicest people I have ever worked with in my life. They provided us an ornament we could afford and we could sell at a good profit.”

The ornaments are on sale for $15 and can be purchased at City Hall.

Arbor Day, which will be held this Saturday, Feb. 23, is another event Pat helps organize. Free seedlings are available for Foley residents.

When she reads to children at local elementary schools as part of the Read Across America program, Pat said she tries to read books that teach children about trees or sea turtles — she's involved in Share the Beach, which works to help freshly-hatched sea turtles make it back to the ocean.

Pat is also a breast cancer survivor and volunteers with Bosom Buddies and Reach to Recovery, organizations that pair survivors with current patients to provide support. She also participates in Relay for Life and other cancer awareness and fundraising events.

Cancer survivors are some of the best people to work with because they have a different take on life, Pat said.

“Everything is very upbeat. You just don't feel down when you're doing that,” she said. “We're all just so glad to be alive.”

The Libbys have two children and two grandchildren. Other than volunteering, Pat enjoys watching Duke basketball, cooking, being the “plant lady” at the Foley Public Library and attending Gulf Shores United Methodist Church.

Pete asks her sometimes why she hasn't “retired” yet — she's constantly darting from event to event, just like she has her entire life.

“I've just always liked to do things,” she said. “I just absolutely cannot say no if there's a need and I know that I have the ability to fill it. And I want to do it. I want to do everything. My calendar is absolutely jam packed.”