Recently I was speaking with a colleague who runs the volunteer program at another organization. When our discussion turned to politics, she reminded me of her previous work coordinating volunteers for various political campaigns. While it's easy to recognize election volunteering as a political act, my colleague made the point that in her view, any type of volunteering is inherently "political." After giving it some thought, I was able to see the validity of her position. Since volunteering is proactive support of an organization, cause or issue, the argument can be made that it always incorporates elements of a political act. At times this support is intentional and designed to change the opinion of others, such as in the case of marches and rallies. More often, however, the actions volunteers take on behalf of an organization imply philosophical and political beliefs. Of course there are many reasons people volunteer, from socialization to career exploration, to a lack of fulfillment in other areas of life. Not everyone is consciously aware of the political nature of their service but just as donating money implies what matters to us the giving of time is a statement of what we value.
We are in the midst of a contentious presidential election year where candidates with widely differing views will attract thousands of volunteers sharing those views and passionate debate on all sides of the political spectrum will follow. Regardless of if or how we decide to vote or where our political views are aligned, we can use the upcoming election as an opportunity to reflect on the value of service in our own lives and how we can, by our actions, affect change in the lives of others not only in an election year but every year. |
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Upcoming Opportunities & Events for our Volunteers
Older Adult Services
On January 1, 2012 the Center @ Lenox Hill Neighborhood House began an expansion of services to its members which provided increased hours of operation, additional classes and workshops and the addition of a daily breakfast meal. Later this spring, the Center will begin the next phase of its expanded offerings by serving dinner to Center members. Volunteers are needed to assist in this exciting new endeavor by being meal servers, dinner hosts and reception desk attendants.
First Avenue Street Fair
The annual First Avenue Street Fair will take place on Saturday, June 9th from 12pm-5pm. Volunteers are needed to help at this festive family-friendly event by running children's games and activities and promoting Lenox Hill Neighborhood House programs and services to the thousands who attend.
To learn more about these opportunities, please contact Anthony Snowden at 212 744-5022, ext. 1238 or asnowden@lenoxhill.org.
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Volunteer Reflection
Our Healthy Foods and Wellness program creates new educational opportunities and activities to inform clients about the importance of healthy eating through workshops on healthier cooking options, teaching cooking techniques and healthy recipes and providing fresh vegetables and fruits through our Community Supported Agriculture program. Volunteers lend their support in this area by assisting with running nutrition and cooking workshops for various groups including kids, seniors, homeless and formerly homeless adults. I spoke with one of the program's volunteers, Delia Hammock, who herself is a registered dietitian, about her participation in these workshops.
Q: You spent a good portion of your working life educating people about the benefits of healthy eating. Why is this important to you?
A: I've always been passionate about food. I want people to realize you can eat wonderful food and stay healthy. Many people have problems doing that. I want to share my knowledge about ways you can make food that tastes good and is still healthy. In turn, this will reduce chronic health conditions.
Q: Some people feel as though having healthy food takes some of the pleasure out of eating. How do you try to dispel this idea in your workshops?
A: The proof is in the tasting. I cook something and let the group participants try it. People have pre-conceived notions about how things taste based on what they've had before. You can make almost anything taste good. You have to get past that mental block of "I don't like that." A workshop is a perfect setting to do this.
Q: Is there one type of group you get the most enjoyment from working with?
A: The older adults tend to be more interested in the topics we're covering. They know the importance of healthy eating so you don't have to do as much in terms of convincing them of that. In my experience, they also tend to have more questions so you can help with more specific areas.
Q: What are some of the ways you try to engage people about the value of nutrition in workshops?
A: Having the food there in front of people so that they can touch it and explaining where it comes from is important. Once they're involved in that process you start to talk about nutrition. Generally, people want to eat healthy without making sacrifices. If you can get people to make little changes in their eating habits it can make a difference and lead to bigger changes that will contribute to a healthier lifestyle in the long run.
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In the News:
Volunteers are the New City Employees
In an era of shrinking revenue and reduced spending, volunteerism is becoming a crucial part of city operations. Increasingly city administrators and government officials are turning to volunteers as part of a strategy to solve pressing problems that continue to daunt metropolitan areas. The goal of these various initiatives is to turn piecemeal civic efforts into organized citywide campaigns that focus volunteer efforts on programs that benefit the community at large. In order to tackle this issue, some cities have taken the step of employing chief service officers, paid city employees whose job is to bring together volunteers, community groups and sponsors and get them to work towards city's goals.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg turned citizen service into a formal city program in 2009, when Diahann Billings-Buford became the first municipal officer to run such a program. Since then several cities have followed suit. "It is government asking its voting citizens to help and it's government identifying those needs that they perceive as in most need of free capital labor," says Laurel Creech, Nashville Tennessee's Chief Program Officer. Projects there have included using volunteers to help strengthen the storm water system by planting trees and clearing debris from waterways after the area was hit hard by floods in 2010. Another example comes from Philadelphia, where 1,300 residents have been trained as volunteer education coaches through the Philadelphia Graduation Coaches initiative, with the goal of raising the high school graduation rate from 60% to 80%.
Volunteers are certainly not a magic solution to the complex problems that persist in cities across the country. Multiple issues will continue to pose challenges for many cities for some time to come. However, if managed effectively and strategically as part of a collaborative effort, volunteers can be a useful resource as cities work towards solving their problems in the midst of prolonged economic difficulties and limited financial resources. |
