Mother Teresa said it best: “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with love.” One of the rarest commodities for many today is time, and giving of our time to volunteer is very precious indeed, but it is the best way I know to do small things with love.
So many local organizations rely on donations and volunteers, and people who turn to these groups often do not realize how many of the “staff” are actually unpaid volunteers. These modern-day Samaritans come from many walks of life, with diverse life experiences, and their ages vary from youngsters to young-at-heart senior citizens. I could fill the entire paper and then some with information on volunteer opportunities. Here are only five, but so many more may be found in our Calendar pages under Volunteering.
Book some time: Sylvia Contreras is the volunteer coordinator for the Santa Maria Public Library. The dedicated bibliophiles who volunteer at this, and many of our local libraries, provide important aid to institutions suffering major budget cutbacks. “Our volunteers work in the library shop, selling donated used books, stocking the shelves, and cashiering,” Contreras said.
Volunteers also search for missing items, mend books, do filing, and help with barbecues and other events to raise funds for the library. “The monies our volunteers raise help buy new materials, equipment, and even furniture for the library,” Contreras said. “They are a vital and important part of our library, and some have been here for more that 20 years.” A summer program for teen volunteers offers high school students credit toward college, she added.
Help keep the Castle: “We have several programs for volunteers to participate,” according to John Fixler, ticket office supervisor at Hearst Castle in San Simeon. “Docents assist at the Visitor Center and Living History docents dress in costume for evening tours. We even have a new program for gardening docents who assist the landscaping staff at the Castle.”
Although they do not conduct tours, docents at Hearst do things that otherwise might not get accomplished without a volunteer. Hearst Castle has close to 200 volunteers. Many are retirees, and some have put in more than 3,000 hours. Volunteers are asked to work a minimum of two four-hour shifts each month, and those hours are tracked. Fixler explained that, based on volunteer hours, docents become eligible for certain perks, including free tours for guests and summer dips in the Neptune Pool!
Share healing hands: Jan Koester is the auxiliary liaison for the Volunteer Program at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.
Koester said that the hospital has a variety of volunteer positions requiring a range of helpers. The gift shop, for example, generates funds that benefit the hospital and student volunteers entering the medical field.
Volunteers at AGCH are the first public relations person patients and family meet. “We look for someone with a caring spirit and cheerful presence,” Koester said. “They also need to be dependable and committed to the volunteer work.”
I’ve personally met several volunteers who, while I recovered from surgery, brought me ice water, local newspapers (especially the Sun and New Times!), checked on me, and chauffeured me to our car in a wheelchair when I left. They man the front desk, help with outpatients in the emergency room lobby, and serve as extra hands to help the staff. “We have over 120 volunteers here, ranging from high school age all the way into their 90s,” Koester said.
And she’s not kidding! Mrs. Emma Lee Anderson has been working on the floor since 1978. “I like it because I get to see the different people who come in,” she said. “If I know them, I can visit them, and I enjoy that. I want to volunteer as long as I can. I’m going to be 91 next month, and I can still walk without a cane!” A golf buddy volunteered at the hospital, Anderson revealed, and asked her to volunteer. “My children were grown and I needed something to do besides play golf,” she explained. A member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Anderson volunteers there, too. “I help with the People’s Kitchen once a month, feeding the homeless. Volunteering keeps you young and active,” she added. “That’s how you get to stay young, by keeping your mind and body active!”
Get a warm and fuzzy feeling: Bobbie Gilman is the office manager and volunteer coordinator at the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society. She started as a volunteer more than two years ago and, in fact, the SMVHS was started in 1982 by a group of volunteers before a shelter was even built in 1991. Currently located at 751 Black Road, a new facility is underway at West Stowell Road and set to open later this year, made possible by volunteers who helped raise funds for the project.
Volunteers at the society do everything from socializing cats and exercising dogs to providing office assistance, helping with fundraising, and even scooping poop. They walk the dogs for 20 minutes each at least once daily and take groups of pooches for a monthly car ride and walk at Waller Park.
“Interaction with pets is imperative to keep them in a calm, adoptable state,” Gilman said. Cat volunteers brush, pet, and cuddle kitties and, yes, scoop litter boxes. “They also help show animals to potential adopters and help match up the right animal with the right person,” she added. The Humane Society is hoping to develop a foster program for orphaned animals needing to be bottle-fed and for dogs needing a respite from kennel stress for a week or two.
There’s always room for volunteers, and volunteer schedules are so flexible, it’s easy to get involved. It’s also a wonderful way to meet new people, and one of the best means of staving off loneliness and depression. So take a tip from Mother Teresa and Mrs. Emma Lee Anderson and help to do small things with love. It’s good for your health and for the health of your community.
Ariel Waterman stays young and active by volunteering for events at her grandson’s school and schule! Share your experiences via her editor, Ryan Miller, at rmiller
@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2011.