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Intergenerational
Volunteer Recognition
By
Joan E. Thompson |
I spoke at a
recent Intergenerational Volunteer Recognition - and was
both heartened and inspired by the experience. The first
portion of the program was a performance by a jazz ensemble
from the local intermediate school. That’s right, seventh
and eighth graders in a jazz group! If volunteering is about
sharing our talents and time with others, then these
youngsters are volunteering at a very early age.
The students felt like they got the best deal - a field trip
in the middle of the school day. Of course, it was fun
getting out of school to perform. So perhaps they’ll
associate volunteering with fun. I hope so.
The program’s spotlight on volunteers switched to the 50 or
so adults in the room - starting with the parents and
teachers who accompanied the music students. Then there were
the elder volunteers who run programs for the town’s elders;
deliver their home meals or operate the congregate meal
site; who serve the Council on Aging, at times even filling
the needed staff positions before there were funds to hire
staff.
My true high point of the afternoon came as a quiet
revelation to me by a Council on Aging volunteer that a
number of the performing students had grandparents among the
elder volunteers. Talk about something going full circle! It
is surely by their example that parents and grandparents
everywhere influence children to help others.
Never doubt that when you act as a volunteer, others notice
it. Those others may be strangers, friends, neighbors,
acquaintances, other volunteers and perhaps most important
of all, the most impressionable members of your own family.
Thank you for influencing them. They and their children hold
the promise of a caring community of volunteers for us all
continuing long into the future. |
About The Author
Joan Thompson is the Executive Director for Mayflower RSVP,
Inc., a non-profit organization mobilizing Volunteer Service
Activities in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. She has
directed RSVP’s Retired & Senior Volunteer Program for
nearly 30 years, working with 200 public/private, health,
human service, and educational organizations to provide
meaningful volunteer service opportunities for members in
the RSVP program. She is a trainer in Volunteer Systems
Management for local and national organizations and a member
of AVA, the International Association for Volunteer
Administration. She may be contacted at RSVP’s Plymouth
County headquarters, (508) 746-7787 or MayflowerRSVP@Verizon.net.
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