Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition
Verde Valley Caregivers
Caregivers Connection
March 21, 2012
In This Issue
Access
Boundaries
Volunteer Recognition
GAP Update
Tax Help
Pay Forward Merchant Program
New On the Website
SRD 102
Our Staff


Kent Ellsworth

Executive Director

[email protected]

 

Roger Wyer

Volunteer Coordinator

[email protected] 

 

Judith Ryan

Executive Assistant

[email protected]

Contact Us

Contact us 

299 Van Deren

Suite 2

Sedona, AZ 86336

 

 Phone: 928.204.1238

Fax: 928.203.9503

Visit Our New Website!
 
 
Check out

Magical

Volunteer

Appreciation

Luncheon

  Magic

Join us

Thursday,

April 19, 2012

Noon - 1:30 PM

(doors open @ 11:30 AM)

 

V.O.C.A.

Redstone Big Room

690 Bell Rock Blvd.

Village of Oak Creek

 

Please RSVP by phone 928.204.1238 or email.

The Sedona Silver Linings Thrift Shop

 Thrift Shop 

345 Jordan Road

at Apple Avenue

Sedona, AZ 86336

Phone: 928.282.6851

 

Hours:

Monday - Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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learningMarch & April

@ Volunteer U.

Events

Unless otherwise noted, all learning events take place in the conference room at our office in uptown Sedona,

299 Van Deren, Suite 2. 

 

Space is limited -

Please RSVP by phone, 928.204.1238, or email.

 

Click on the event title for more information...

 

SRD 102

Wed., March 28th

10:00 AM - Noon

 

Fri., April 20th

1:00 - 3:00 PM

 

Pay Forward Merchant Information Sessions

Fri., March 23rd

2:00 - 3:00 PM

 

Fri., March 30th

2:00 - 3:00 PM

   

Volunteer Orientation

Skipping the month of April to celebrate!

 

Website 101

Wed., April 11th

10:00 AM - Noon

 

 

Refer to the website for updates and additions.

timeformReminder!

We appreciate your keeping track of your time and mileage and submitting the information monthly to the office.

 

Click here to download or print a copy of the monthly report form.

 

If you've got any questions, please contact us. Thanks!

 

Greetings!

  

The pace is quickening this month. The number of requests coming in from neighbors is picking up. Volunteer schedules are filling with out-of-town guests and events as well as opportunities to serve. It's an exciting time to be a volunteer.

Access

Microsoft AccessOur twelve-year-old software program - the one that holds the organization together - needs some attention. Since the beginning, CARE has been nurtured by staff member Judith Ryan. She sometimes needs someone to help her work through knotty questions, and as an organization, we need a second person on the planet to be familiar with the ins and outs of CARE.


CARE is built in a Microsoft� Access database. The ideal volunteer would be an Access programmer who's looking for a little mental stimulation without taking on a lot of responsibility. CARE needs maintaining and we've got a growing list of modifications and upgrades needing attention. Sometimes Judith just needs to talk things over with someone who understands.
 

Please call or email Judith at the office if you can help or know someone who can.

Boundaries 

BoundariesIt seems we're being called upon to pay closer attention to our boundaries. Neighbors can push your limits, the organization's limits, and their own - often without knowing it. We're here to answer your questions about what's acceptable and what's not, and to step in whenever necessary.


Beyond that, we're looking at ways to grow the conversation around boundaries. That could look like formal training or something more interactive. It will probably include articles in this e-newsletter as well as posts to our website. We're considering both personal and safety issues.


It's important that we understand our boundaries and remain aware of challenges to them - and that we ask for help. We don't want this to negatively impact the work we do or be burdensome. Please be on the lookout for ways to share how you manage boundaries as well as opportunities to learn.

Volunteer Recognition

MagicThe Magical Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is taking shape - magical shape! Invitation postcards were mailed recently. Please remember to RSVP by phone or email.

 

We're placing our priority this year on getting to know each other and celebrating the great work we do together. And, having fun!

GAP Update 

Guardian Angel ProgramWe've received five of what we hope will be the next generation GAP units for testing. So far, they're looking good - much better functionality than the current units but not so complex they'll be confusing to neighbors. We put the new unit through its paces at the office and it clearly extends the effective range between the unit and the activator. Another primary difference is that the activator - although not nearly as cute as the heart pendant - allows two-way talk.


The Guardian Angel Program is central to the services we provide. We would like our next unit to hold up for ten years, so we're being careful in our selection process. Three GAP installers are now testing units in their garages to see what they can learn. In order to move forward, we'll need additional funding, as well as new language for telling about the unit, new processes for installation and maintenance, and new training materials for neighbors.
 

We're also happy to announce that X10, manufacturers of our discontinued unit, are sending forty heart pendants they found in their warehouse at no charge. We'll be cleaning and testing them before putting them in service.

Tax Help

Tax time!The Sedona Public Library is fortunate to have a dedicated group of AARP volunteers who come each year to help people with their tax returns. Years ago, it was a service limited to the elderly but that is no longer the case.


Volunteers are available in the Si Birch Community Room on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The AARP Tax-Aide service is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis through the April 17th filing deadline.


For more information, please contact our volunteer Liz Sweeney ([email protected]), who has offered to help make this a pleasant experience for our volunteers and neighbors.

Pay Forward Merchant Program

Pay Forward Merchant ProgramWe're partnering with National Processing Solutions (NPS) on a new form of fundraising which looks very promising. The basic idea is that when merchants sign on with NPS and VVCC, up to half of the credit card processing fees they pay NPS come to us to support the free services we provide. We anticipate that this format will provide regular, growing, monthly revenue, and will complement contributions from our strong donor base and expanding public and private grant funding.


You can help. First, read more about the program and NPS. If you know a merchant who may be interested, talk directly to them about the program or contact us and we'll dispatch a trained volunteer to make a brief presentation.


You may also be interested in joining our volunteer team to make these brief presentations to local merchants. In our trial runs, presentations have been fun and merchants have been uniformly supportive. In fact, the only time we haven't gotten a signup is when a merchant chooses to remain loyal to a different processing company. We're looking for a half-day-per-week commitment from our volunteer team.  If you'd like to know more, please call volunteer Jo Marco at 602.494.2722, and plan on attending an information session Friday, March 23rd or Friday, the 30th, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM in the conference room. And, please RSVP to Jo. 

New On the Website

Click here to visit our website...We've recently added access to the Volunteer Service Log and the GAP Install Form, so you can print these on your home computer. We've posted information about the new Pay Forward Program and the handout from our recent Website 101 learning session - access this page to better understand how to maneuver around the website.
 

Next up is to begin posting open service requests. We had been shooting for releasing the active connection between the website and our CARE database until it occurred to us that we can at least post open service requests so you can see all of what is available daily. You won't be able to press a button and claim a service yet, but you can begin familiarizing yourself with this new functionality.
 

When you see a service request you'd like to claim, just call the office as you would normally and we'll take it from there.

SRD 102

volunteer univOur Service Request Desk 101 learning sessions have been working well to set up new volunteers to serve at our front desk. They focus almost entirely on orienting participants to our CARE computer system. This month, we're adding a new session to address other important aspects of the service request desk, including working with our phone system, finding stuff in CARE, interacting with volunteers and neighbors, processing the two forms we use most frequently, and more.

 

We're also offering a Website 101 session for Service Request Desk volunteers. It's the same format as our regular Website 101, with an emphasis on what's coming up on the website and how to help our volunteers and neighbors make the best use of this expanding tool.

 

As with our other sessions, although we tend to target a particular group of volunteers, we welcome ALL volunteers to attend, interact, and learn.

 

Click here to go to the March & April Volunteer U. schedule on the sidebar.

Is it winter or is it spring? - hard to tell some days! As far as we're concerned, growth is in the air - and celebration. We're looking forward to having everyone together in April!

 
Sincerely,

 

Kent Ellsworth, Executive Director
Roger Wyer, Volunteer Coordinator

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