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Beginner Volunteers
By
Joan E. Thompson |
Plymouth
- When I spoke at an Intergenerational
Volunteer Recognition I 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 beginning their
own volunteer career 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;
who deliver their home-meals or operate the congregate meal
site; who serve on 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 young members of your own
family.
Thank you for influencing them. They and their children hold
the promise of a caring volunteer community for us all
lasting 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. 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
may be contacted at RSVP’s Plymouth County headquarters,
(508) 746-7787 or via email at
MayflowerRSVP@Verizon.net.
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