Forget the diet, volunteer
Lynchburg News and Advance
Sunday, January 2, 2005New Year’s resolutions can be anything from eating less candy to helping clean the house. But Central Virginia area charities hope volunteering makes the list for many in 2005, because just about all of them need extra hands.
“Everybody has their own crusade,” United Way of Central Virginia volunteer coordinator Gabriela Nosari said. “And everyone has time.”
The region has organizations that help the elderly, children, teenagers, animals – something that will probably fit both your time and your passion, she said.
Going into the New Year, Nosari said, there is a definite need out there.
“Sometimes it’s just a matter of making the phone calls,” she said.
It’s important to get involved with an agency you’re passionate about, she said. Otherwise it’s easy to get frustrated or lose sight of the purpose of volunteering.
Wayne Austin got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters after watching his wife work with the organization for about seven years.
He’s the big brother for a set of twins, Akeem and Rakeem.
Volunteering, to Austin, is a way to make a difference in a child’s life.
The twins’ single mother said in a client testimonial that Austin’s presence in her children’s lives has helped them do better at school and make friends.
But Austin really knew he had made an impact when he hadn’t seen the twins for about two weeks because his shift at R.R. Donnelley changed.
“I got a phone call at work and they told me that they missed me,” he said.
United Way Marketing Director Pam Bailey said oftentimes volunteering can turn into a lifetime experience. Becoming involved in something like Big Brothers Big Sisters can domino into volunteering more time with more children for many years, she said.
It doesn’t just have to be with an agency affiliated with the United Way, either.
Bailey said she’s seen a need in local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
“Sometimes they just need someone to drop by and play checkers with them,” she said.
Nosari, who was hired last summer to keep track of volunteer needs for the United Way’s 36 partner agencies, said she’s planning a Web site that will show prospective volunteers what each charity is looking for in prospective helpers. The site should be ready by spring.
Of course most every agency welcomes volunteers; here is a selection of opportunities in Central Virginia:
• The Adult Care Center.
This center, at 621 Court St., provides weekday care for the elderly, sick or disabled, providing companionship for them while giving caregivers a respite.
Volunteers would help with exercise, play music and games and supervise crafts. Qualified individuals could assist with medication administration and monitoring a client’s health.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Bailey said there are more than 80 children in the Lynchburg area that are looking for a big brother or big sister.
Because of a shortage of volunteers, the boys will have to wait two and a half years for a brother, while the girls will have to wait eight months for a sister.
Volunteers typically have to commit to a year of service, meeting the child or children to play, talk or have lunch as well as take occasional day trips.
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates.
CASA Manager Melanie Wright said the number of child abuse and dependency cases in Central Virginia has gone up in recent months. That means her agency is looking for more people to get involved.
CASA volunteers go through about 40 hours of training and then they become friends and confidants to children that are in the court system because of abuse and neglect.
The volunteers also conduct an independent investigation of the child’s living situation.
Wright said being a CASA member typically averages spending about 12 to 15 hours a month with children.
The next training session is Jan. 4. Candidates have to pass a thorough background check and must be at least 21 years old.
• Crisis Line.
Crisis Line volunteers coordinator Vicki Leary said her agency is “in desperate need of volunteers.”
The agency has four options for interested people.
Volunteers for the “crisis line” are asked to staff a phone and can essentially pick there own hours. There are three-hour shifts, five-hour shifts or all-nighters.
The crisis line is for people who may be suicidal, or might need counseling.
For the Sexual Assault Response Program, volunteers typically work two to three 12-hour shifts per month. That hotline can include advocacy, referral services and court appearances for survivors of sexual assault.
The Crisis Line also offers a “chatterline” where younger children that are home alone after school can call to simply shoot the breeze or get help with homework.
Volunteers are typically teenagers that work from about 3-6 p.m. after school once a week.
There’s also a “telecare” service where volunteers can make their own hours and work from home, calling homebound people to make sure they are all right.
• The Free Clinic.
Executive Director Bob Barlow said there are a couple of ways volunteers can help at the city’s Free Clinic, 1016 Main St., where people who can’t afford to pay for healthcare can receive medical attention and prescriptions.
An eligibility screener sits down and interviews clients and collects their financial papers. Interviews take about 10 to 20 minutes each.
Barlow also needs computer-savvy patient prescription access volunteers. They go online and order prescriptions from some of the free medication Web sites.
The Free Clinic often gets sample medication donated from local doctor’s offices. Volunteers open these and repackage them into 30-day prescription containers.
Barlow also needs general office volunteers that can work during the day. All volunteers must be 18 years or older.
• New Land Jobs.
Interim Executive Director Santina Henley is one of only two people working at New Land Jobs, an agency at 410 Bay St., that helps unemployed people search for jobs, so volunteers are welcome.
She said the organization needs people to help craft and type resumes for clients.
Volunteers also could teach workshops on how to interview for a job and how to make a career search more productive.
“And sometimes just answering the phones,” she said.
People work when they can, Henley said. The workshops are normally Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. and last about an hour. • The United Way offices.
Bailey said a few extra hands could be put to use at the United Way’s own office near Miller Park.
They need help answering phones and working to raise funds. And if some more hands-on volunteers are willing, the property needs some landscaping, she said.
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