NATCHEZ — If Ricky Warren has a flaw, it’s that he doesn’t have enough arms to juggle the many different organizations for which he volunteers.

Whether leading young men as a Scout Master, helping with the Mississippi Area 7 Special Olympics or volunteering his time at St. Mary Basilica, Warren is not stingy when it comes to lending a helping hand.

“I just enjoy helping people who need help,” Warren said. “I don’t have a lot of free time. My wife and family support me, so that helps a lot.”

While being involved in Boy Scouts, Special Olympics or church is where he spends most of his time volunteering, those are just three of many activities to which Warren dedicates himself. He’s a member of the Knights of Columbus; the chairman of the Tootsie Roll Drive, which raises funds for special needs children for the Knights of Columbus; a member of the Elks Club and Pro-Life Natchez-Adams County.

He also assists the Adams County Search and Rescue and the Foster Mound Volunteer Fire Department and is a member of the board for the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program. He’s also a captain for the Krewe of Killarney and sells real estate part-time — in addition to his day job as service manager at Great River Chevy-GMC.

Of all the activities in which he’s involved, Warren said one is most rewarding to him. “I really love helping youth,” Warren said. “Nowadays, so many youth grow up without parental help or don’t have a father. Scouting is a big part of that, because it teaches life skills.

“I enjoy seeing kids look up to you, and you can see the joy in their eyes. They’ll thank you for helping them, and it’s really special for them to ask you to write them a letter of recommendation to get into a certain school.”

His involvement with Special Olympics is a little more personal for Warren, whose son Chandler, 27, is a special needs person. Warren said special needs children are God’s angels to humanity.

“What you see (from them) is unconditional love,” Warren said. “They don’t know a war is going on or that we’re in hard economic times. All they know is love — they don’t even know what hate is. If everyone was like that, the world would be a whole lot better off.”

Warren said his desire to volunteer is a call from God, and he first discovered it when he was asked by his church to help teach children who didn’t attend a Catholic school.

“I prayed about it and didn’t really have an answer when I was asked for one,” Warren said. “But I said yes, and I felt like I did the right thing.”

Warren has been married to Janet Warren for 41 years, and he also has an older son, Brian, 34, and a grandson, Brent, 7. While his time is stretched thin, Warren said he does spend time with his family.

“We have our family time we set aside,” Warren said. “Janet is very supportive, and she will volunteer her time as well to help. You have to have that family support to do it. If you don’t spend time with them, that’s not fair. Family is important.”

Warren also said he’s grateful that his employer, Great River, is understanding and generous in letting him take time off to do volunteer work.

“I’m lucky to work there, because my employers are very generous in that way,” Warren said.

While his face may be recognizable to many locals for his volunteer work, Warren said he’s not doing it for himself.

“I think that’s one of the main purposes God put me on the earth, to help people,” he said. “I don’t do it for the recognition — I don’t want the recognition.”