19 Feb To Be of Use

Sid Makar finds meaning in CITC’s Elder-focused initiatives

Sid Makar is a natural host. It’s not just the time he’s spent in restaurants throughout his career, chatting up clientele, that makes him perfect for the job; he simply knows how to talk to people. Visit CITC any Monday through Friday, between the hours of 12 and 3 p.m., and you’ll receive a warm “hello” from Sid, who acts as the organization’s unofficial welcome committee.

“When this [position] came open, it seemed perfect—just using my life skills. I jokingly say that it’s just like being a Walmart greeter,” Sid said of his job with CITC’s Welcome Center.

In 2024, CITC’s Board of Directors set an organizational goal of “creat[ing] new opportunities to meaningfully connect…Elders across CITC’s programs.” As a result, the organization implemented initiatives across several departments meant to engage adults over the age of 50 in CITC’s programs and services.

Before he came to work at CITC, Sid was spending a lot of time at home. After a career in the restaurant industry, where he worked nearly every position from busboy to host to cook, an old injury to his neck made it impossible for him to spend his days doing repetitive work in the kitchen.

He’d been collecting disability and spending time with his grown children when his daughter, Larissa Makar, a Learning and Development specialist with CITC’s HR department, suggested he check out opportunities at her workplace.

“This is the first place I’ve actually gone where everybody wants to help people,” Sid said. “They want people to succeed—and that sold me [on the job].”

As one of the first faces visitors see when they come inside CITC’s Nat’uh Service Center, Sid plays a crucial role in making sure people receive a warm greeting and feel instantly welcomed by CITC staff. He knows firsthand how important it is that CITC’s program participants be made to feel at ease.

“I went to the old Bureau of Indian Affairs offices and got on TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families]. I’ve been there, done that. And I remember how uncaring and unfeeling it was. You’re a number,” he recalled. “I see the difference in culture [at CITC], the whole idea that everybody here wants people to have a better life.”

Sid started his position in the Welcome Center as an Elder intern, a paid position that helped him learn the ropes. After getting an extension on his internship, he decided to sign up for classes to sharpen his computer skills.

His next goal? Gain enough skills and knowledge to become a part-time Navigation Specialist—one of the people who know CITC inside and out and can connect others to the right programs and services to help them reach their potential.

At 67, now that he is considered an Elder, Sid recalls how the Elders in his own life inspired him.

“My apa, who I spent a lot of time with when I was real young, used to tell me that we are here to help each other. I still hear his broken English voice in the back of my head, one of the things he told me, ‘A man in all of his strength […] helps build,’” he said. “If I’m going to be true to myself, I need to help. This is rewarding. It fulfills my life and makes me feel like I have more meaning. One of the things I say is, everything wants to be useful. This makes me useful.”

For information on CITC’s opportunities for Elders, contact our Human Resources department at recruiting@citci.org.

Need to access CITC services? Connect with our Navigation team at navigation@citci.org.