LIVE UNITED Y’All!

By: Patty Belden

Did you know that April is Volunteer Appreciation Month?  Do you work with volunteers or know someone who participates as a volunteer?  If so, listen up!  Now is the time to develop your recognition plan (that is, if you haven’t already).  Take a minute to think about the impact that volunteers have in our community, our world.  Having trouble, let me help you…

According to studies conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service…between 2007 and 2009, Kentucky residents put in 101 million service hours.  Translated into dollars…this equals $2.1 billion of service contributed!  Over the same time period, Indiana residents put in 206.1 million service hours to equal $4.3 billion of contributed service.  Way to go Hoosiers! 

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty darn impressed with these numbers.  Volunteers share their time and talents with our community everyday.  And many times these acts of kindness go un-noticed or unappreciated.  Please make a point to thank a volunteer during the month of April.  If you are a volunteer…THANK YOU!!! 

Looking for ways to thank your volunteers?  Check out this helpful website: http://www.energizeinc.com/ideas.html

Feeling inspired to become a volunteer?  Let us help!  Visit www.metrounitedway.org/volunteer.

Volunteering Indiana volunteering, Kentucky volunteering, Volunteer, volunteer appreciation, volunteer recognition, Volunteering

By: Kelly Thompson Garvey, Director of Engagement Initiatives at Metro United Way

(Information provided by HandsOn Network)

Did you know that Metro United Way Volunteer Connection is one of the more than 240 HandsOn Network Action Centers across the United States? HandsOn Action Centers, also known as Affiliates, Volunteer Centers, or Cares organizations, are the engine through which HandsOn Network connects thousands of volunteers to meaningful service opportunities throughout the United States, and increasingly, throughout the world.

HandsOn Network was conceived by a group of individuals that wanted to make it easier for people to get involved in building their communities and helping their neighbors. Groups of like-minded individuals in New York , DC , Chicago and Atlanta got together and decided to formalize the beginnings of this partnership by creating Hands On Network – a national organization that would focus on bringing the Hands On approach to communities everywhere. This important movement made it to the Kentuckiana area when the Metro United Way Volunteer Connection became a Points of Light Foundation affiliate in 1990, and then became an official HandsOn Network Affiliate in 2008.

The Metro United Way Volunteer Connection operates regionally (including Louisville and surrounding counties, and Southern Indiana), supporting a variety of issues and needs. We build relationships with nonprofits, school, faith-based organizations, corporate partners and others; our Volunteer Connection plays a critical role in leveraging volunteer power to the fullest effect.  We help to inspire, equip, and mobilize individuals and groups to take actions that create positive change in our community. Last year alone we helped to connect nearly 18,000 volunteers to service in our community.

The Metro United Way Volunteer Connection, the volunteer center for our region, is leading people from impulse to action, turning their ideas for change into impactful projects, like tutoring and reading to children, serving meals to the hungry, and mentoring.

By visiting our website www.metrounitedway.org/volunteer, you will find that there is truly something for everyone who wishes to engage in volunteering.  If you don’t see something you like, let us help you design, develop and manage a project that meets your need to serve.

When you think of volunteering, think Metro United Way’s Volunteer Connection!

Call us anytime, we would love to help you volunteer today. 502-292-6152

Volunteering Community, community service, HandsOn Network, Louisville, making a difference, Southern Indiana, Volunteer, Volunteering

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

Last week I was fortunate to attend the celebration dinner of the annual WLKY Bell Awards. This special event recognizes the outstanding volunteer efforts of individuals in our community who work hard to make a difference through volunteer service to others.

I have long been aware of this program and was thankful to have the opportunity to attend and shared the invitation with my daughter Mariah who is 16. My thinking was a little on the selfish side. I had noticed two youth awards would be presented and felt like this would inspire her as well.  I was hoping she would take a look at DePauw University where one of the Youth Service recipients Samuel Leist attends, and I was hoping she would want to volunteer. Don’t get me wrong. Mariah has a desire to give back. She volunteers when she can but has told me she wants to do more. I believe when her life is less-busy with an active volleyball season she will follow through.

We met at the Galt House, enjoyed a delicious dinner and watched the awards program unfold. We read the bio’s in our program of the deserving recipients and anxiously waited to hear from them when they shared personal messages at the podium. We noted in our program that the last award was going to Earl Wieting, a 91 year old volunteer who served in World War II, and continues to serve today by volunteering his time to deliver food to places including the Salvation Army. I have confessed before, I appreciate old people and he was so cute and well worth the wait to the end of the program to hear from!

After the ceremony, on our drive home,  I asked Mariah,”so what did you think?”
Then I was quiet as to not elicit any direction on what I was hoping to hear. Here is what she commented.

“Why were all the waiters and waitresses working at the dinner black? I think that was strange? That doesn’t make sense to me.”

“My favorite winnner was the lady in the purple dress. I really liked what she said when she got her award.”

“I heard several of the winners say they were able to do so much volunteering because of their position or husband or were wealthy. I sort of feel like that gives them an advantage -that they have the opportunity to do so much more because of that -and then they also are the ones who ‘get the award’.”

“I really want to do more.”

I won’t include my responses here but can tell you we shared a deeper quality discussion around each of her observations. Like my daughter, I came away ultimately wanting to find ways to do more. You don’t need to look far in our community to find people to help and at Metro United Way there are so many opportunities to help in ways that touch your heart and fit your schedule.

Isn’t that the real reward? Having a desire in your heart to want to help others and then doing it. Tell me about your last volunteer experience? Will you plan to do some volunteering for 85 days of Caring? You could even make it a family affair.

Tune in to WLKY TV on October 16^th at 8 pm and you can hear for yourself what retired attorney Susan Turner aka the lady in the purple dress had to say about volunteering and watch the 2010 Bell Awards Ceremony.

Volunteering Community, Louisville, making a difference, parenting, Volunteering, WLKY Bell Awards, youth

by John Nevitt

In honor of the upcoming National Volunteer Week, April 18-24, I’d like to share some thoughts about why I volunteer, and how volunteering makes a difference for me.

I am sure we can all think of someone who has made a tremendous impact on our lives – perhaps it was a teacher, our parents, a close friend, a co-worker, or our lifetime companion. Whoever that person is, they undoubtedly took the time to get to know us, and shared something of value – their time, encouragement, knowledge, insight, skills, sense of humor, values – in short, the essence of who they are.

Volunteerism brings people together in ways that may not otherwise happen in a way that can benefit everyone involved. For example, I have always enjoyed spending time with senior citizens, and I trace this back to the time I spent with my grandparents. As a result, one job I had was as a social worker in a nursing home.

In order to keep in touch with seniors now, I volunteer through my church at a retirement home and I deliver meals to elderly people who are home bound. This helps me stay in contact with folks who I view as wise, and who often have incredible attitudes, despite difficult circumstances. I almost always feel empowered after spending time with seniors – sometimes because I am more aware and truly thankful for my good health, and other times because I feel privileged to have spent some time with others who have so much perspective on life.

I’ll never forget one nursing home resident, Ralph, who was confined to bed because something went wrong during an operation. He spent a considerable amount of time in a coma, and then was confronted with paralysis.

Ralph had so much he could have been resentful about, but somehow he maintained a remarkably positive attitude. When I visited him, it seemed that his only concern was about how I was doing, what was going on in my life, and how he could support me. I remember how much he helped me when I was dealing with a personal loss, and how grateful I was to him for his kindness.

My visits gave Ralph the opportunity to be of service to me, and I was much richer as a result.

Someone once told me that being of service to others is the highest distinction for human beings. I would say that a few historical figures whom I admire all fit that bill – Ghandi, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Mother Theresa. Ralph will always stick in my mind for the same reason, and he is a powerful reminder of why I volunteer – to have the privilege of being of service, and to gain so much in return.

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Let me be clear—I know that a sudden need to volunteer isn’t the first reaction most of us have to losing a job. The most typical first reaction is,

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I JUST LOST MY JOB!”

Then comes the subsequent panic of,

“What exactly do I do now?”

So now maybe you’re wondering what makes me such an authority; the fact is, it hasn’t been that long since I experienced losing a job firsthand, and I’m here to report that there usually isn’t anything inspiring or uplifting involved. Mostly, if I’m any kind of example, losing a job leads to full-on panic (i.e., How am I going to pay the mortgage?) and levels of self-doubt I hadn’t experienced since I had braces.

How will becoming a volunteer help with any of this? Consider that volunteering can help you…

1. Reclaim your sense of purpose.
Sleeping in and spending the day in your pajamas can be a welcome benefit at first, but soon, one day of scanning job listings online and eating cereal for every meal can begin to run into the next. Finding a consistent, satisfying volunteer opportunity can help you, at minimum, build structure and meaning back into your days. Being unemployed can be isolating, and volunteering can keep you connected to the world outside your computer screen, making it much easier to have a positive outlook on your future.

2. Make (and renew) connections.
It goes without saying that when you’re looking for a job, going to your network of connections is the first and best way to uncover the next opportunity. But sometimes those networks can be limited; volunteering is one of the best ways to expand your network of connections. So seek out volunteer opportunities that apply to your interests and goals, work hard, and it’s very likely that you’ll build ties that can help you move forward in your career, all while making a positive contribution to an organization or cause you care about.

3. Build your job experience.
Just because you lost your job doesn’t mean that you can’t put your hard-earned skills to work. Almost all non-profit organizations need volunteers because they have to make the most out of every penny. Chances are that your skills will be incredibly valuable to a non-profit and the opportunity to keep those skills sharp is just as valuable to you. Seek out opportunities to use, or to even improve your abilities, and you’ve created a winning situation for everyone involved.

Ready to jump in and volunteer? Metro United Way is the place to get started. Just visit our website and explore our volunteer opportunities. You can also call 2-1-1 for more information.

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I was making my annual visit to a local summer picnic a couple of weekends ago, ready to gamble away my pocket full of dimes, when I spied a peculiar site.  Were my eyes playing tricks on me, or was that one of my “non-volunteering” type friends heartily serving up kiddie prizes at the duck pond booth? What strange collision of world events has brought this person into the realm of giving back, of service to his fellow man, of yelling like a crazed carnival barker when a kid wins a cartoon pencil?

The answer?  Free beer.

Was I shocked? No. Disappointed? Absolutely not. There are a thousand reasons why people volunteer, some may be nobler than others, but the bottom-line is that they are volunteering in the first place. Even better, I’d like to think that the free beer got him in the door and next year he might even think of doing it for the sheer enjoyment of a kid’s smile. He was obviously having a great time creating a fun environment for the kids and on top of all of that, raising money for a charitable cause. I think he was hooked.

Not too many days after the picnic our community was slammed by the August 4^th flash flood that destroyed or heavily damaged many homes in the hardest hit areas. In the days following the event I started to encounter another type of volunteer, the one motivated not by beer, but by hope. The member organizations of VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) http://www.nvoad.org/ are made up of thousands of volunteers who help with the response and recovery of disasters like the flood we had. These volunteers are helping clean-up raw sewage and black mold. They are ripping up ruined carpets and water-soaked furniture. What motivates them? I think it is their desire to restore hope.

What motivates you? Is it something other than beer or hope? It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you find a way to help another, support a cause you believe in, and do it as often as you can.

By K. Thompson

Advocacy, Giving Disaster, Hope, VOAD, Volunteering

Here at Metro United Way, we often ask the question, “What are you passionate about?”  We ask the question of potential volunteers when we’re trying to figure out what volunteer opportunities they might most enjoy doing.  We ask it of donors so we can help them connect their philanthropy to the causes they believe in most deeply.  We ask it of companies so we can determine how Metro United Way can help that business express its social conscience and become a better corporate citizen of our community.

But what is passion, anyway?  Webster’s Online Dictionary defines it as: 1) strong feeling or emotion, 2) something that is desired intensely, 3) any object of warm affection or devotion.

So, the question is, what causes or issues do you feel most strongly about?  To what do you devote your time, energy, talents, and resources? Of what greater good do you want to be a part?   Whatever it is, find a way to become an advocate for that cause and use your passion to benefit others. 

For example, I have a friend who has a heart for older adults who live alone.  She devotes a portion of her time to cleaning the homes of these people, which meets their need for a healthier living space, provides them with socialization once a week, and gives them the comfort of knowing that someone is checking on them regularly.  I have another friend who is passionate about the restoration and preservation of historic homes.  He spends a portion of his time helping his neighbors with home repair and restoration projects, is in the process of restoring his own Victorian-era house, and opens his home for the holiday house walk to raise money for and awareness of his city’s historic preservation efforts.   Another friend cares deeply about the soldiers that serve our country overseas.  Each week, she writes notes of encouragement and appreciation to U.S. service men & women, makes fleece blankets to send to them, and advocates for veterans.

So how about you?  Whether it’s animals, the arts, the protection of the weak, cooking, knitting, civil rights, antique cars, sports, or gardening, there’s a way that you can use your passion to educate, uplift, encourage, and challenge others.  I challenge you to find a way to do just that.

General advocate, Community, Giving, passion, service, Volunteering

Did you watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” this past Christmas? I watch it every year because it’s one of my favorite movies and because I think it has something important to say. This 1946 Frank Capra classic tells the story of George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, who is given a wonderful gift – the opportunity to see what life in his hometown would be like if he had never been born.

I was having dinner recently with a friend of mine when our conversation took a similar turn. “We all like to think that our lives count for something; that we’re making a positive difference in the world by the things that we do and the way that we live our lives,” she said. “But are we really having much impact? If you and I had never been born, would this community be worse off for our not being here?”

It’s an intriguing question and one that really makes me think. The work that I do here at Metro United Way, the volunteering I do for my church and in the community, the way I interact with the people I come in contact with, the choices that I make – I like to think that it makes my little corner of the world a better place. But I know there’s more I can do that I haven’t done. I identify with Meg Ryan’s character in “You’ve Got Mail” when she says, “Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Small but valuable. And sometimes I wonder do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave?”

What would this community look like if we dared to be brave? Are we ready to be audacious and do whatever it takes to truly make our community the very best it can be? We can’t do it without you. As Clarence the angel says to George Bailey, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole.”

Don’t let there be a hole where your influence and impact ought to be.

Advocacy, General, Volunteering Community, making a difference, Volunteering

What do you think of when you hear the words “community service?” Sometimes I feel like the term has been hijacked by our court system and has come to describe a form of punishment. I have an acquaintance who, when asked to help with a volunteer project, responded, “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why do you want to make me do community service?” I’ve heard other people say, “I’m not going to work if I don’t get paid for it!”

These attitudes are really unfortunate because, well, think about it – community service is simply a service that someone performs to benefit his or her community. We can all make a difference in small ways every day, and lots of people are doing just that. I know that everybody’s busy these days, but even if you have only an hour a week to give, you can make a difference to someone. How about shoveling the sidewalk of that elderly neighbor the next time we have snow? Or you could buy some extra canned goods to drop into the Dare to Care donation barrel at the grocery store. Offer to entertain her children so that the young mother next door can run errands without the kids. Clean out a closet and donate your good, but unworn, clothing to a charitable organization that will resell it. There are plenty of ways that you can help to make our community a better place.

If getting involved in serving our community appeals to you, but you’re not sure what you’d like to do or how to get started, why don’t you check out the volunteering opportunities that are on Metro United Way’s website?Whether you’re interested in helping out at a one-time event or you’d like to donate time on a regular basis, there are plenty of nonprofit organizations that can benefit from your skills and experience. And just a reminder – if you’re a high school student with a community service requirement for graduation, don’t wait until the last minute. Be cool and volunteer now – then it won’t feel like a punishment!

This is Karla Close and I work in the Volunteer Development Department at Metro United Way.   .

General, Volunteering community service, Volunteering