Plymouth
- The Medical Profession has long
operated a system for measuring improvements in health by
establishing benchmarks and valid, reliable indicators of
change that mark patient improvement or decline. Volunteers
may apply the same logic where ever they serve – and by
sharing their observations, bring others to the realization
of what a difference it makes to volunteer. Want to try it?
First question: Is there
no staff available to perform during your time-slot? If not,
then you can be sure anyone requesting your help would not
have gotten any had you not been there. Let’s say staff is
available, but occupied with other tasks. In that case your
presence is allowing staff to perform those assignments only
they can fulfill – and you are expanding the number of tasks
getting completed. What about those days when no one calls.
You’re on phone duty, but no one calls or comes in. Know
that you become the “insurance” that if/when someone does
call, they will have access to the agency – thanks to YOU.
Maybe not today, but your consistency with a scheduled
commitment insures when someone does call, you will be the
“someone” there to help.
Maybe you assist the public find their way to needed
services in a large building complex – a large hospital or
courthouse. For example, in the case of the Massachusetts
Trial Court in Brockton, housing four separate court
complexes, finding the right “path” can be daunting. No
wonder people arriving for the first time ask directions of
the first person they see, a Court Officer on Security
detail. Needless to say, if the Court Officers are
distracted from their screening function, a weapon – or
worse – could get onto the premises. So the Court
Information Volunteer, stationed just beyond the screening
equipment, protects the Security Staff from unnecessary
distractions.
No
matter what your task as a volunteer, a good clue to its
necessity is to ask the question, “What could be the
consequence if I were not here?” Think about your answer.
Then ask a staff person and see what else might be a
consequence – it could be more than you even imagined. The
difference is “being in the right place at the right time”.
The difference is YOU! I would love to hear from you about
the experiences you have had
Making A
Difference! |
