Starting young: the importance of child volunteers

Experts say that it’s important to start learning skills like math, music, and languages at an early age . . . but what about community service? If a child learns to volunteer at a young age, will he or she be a better volunteer later in life?

Okay, I’m a volunteer coordinator and not a social scientist. I can only report on my own experiences combined with a good dose of common sense. And lately, I’ve had many an opportunity to observe younger volunteers at work.

On Sunday morning I coordinated another gardening project that was billed as a family-friendly volunteer opportunity, so lots of kids and parents came out to help. I was a little taken-aback by how young the kids were (between ages 3-6). I was worried about whether we’d complete the project in time but trusted that the parents knew their child’s abilities better than I did. This definitely proved to be the case.

At first it was fairly obvious that the kids didn’t want to volunteer on a Sunday morning (Sundays are after all prime cartoon time). But over the course of the project, the kids began to be more engaged and less apprehensive.

One of the older girls was in charge of checking every flower to see which ones needed water and I’ve never come across a more enthusiastic waterer! She made sure no plant went thirsty, and sometimes I had to reign in her exuberance for the sake of the flowers. Similarly a three-year old boy was so excited when he was asked to collect the garden tools that he started to take the trowels out of people’s hands!

By the end, the kids were scrambling over who got to do what and totally involved in the project. Although these kids were made to volunteer by their parents, they ended up working hard because they began to understand how good it feels to help others. And in my profession, it’s very encouraging to see young kids loving volunteer work!

So the hypothesis was tested, sort of. I guess to truly test my theory I would need to contact these kids in twenty years to see if they volunteer more than the average adult. This probably won’t happen . . . but tune in to our blog in twenty years to find out! I however feel fairly confident in saying that these kids have started to cultivate a lifelong passion for volunteerism.

Were three-year-olds the best gardeners a volunteer coordinator could wish for? Well . . . they were certainly the cutest. And seeing young kids get their hands dirty to help low income seniors warmed my heart and made me more optimistic about the future of volunteerism.

Do Good, Feel Good

Who ever knew that volunteerism has something in common with a glass of orange juice and yoga?

According to a study in Ontario, Canada, volunteering bolsters the immune system and can reduce the effect of stress on the body. Other studies report that altruism triggers pleasure centers in the brain. You start to feel good and then do more good to feel even better. It looks like volunteering is addictive.

(Source: http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/31824806/Give-a-Little-Get-a-Lot)

Battling the Elements: Tips on how to plant a garden in Manhattan

On a sunny morning in May, there are few things more satisfying that toiling in the soil.

No, I’m not writing this while gently rocking on my porch swing in North Carolina. I’m in New York City, known more for its concrete towers than pastoral gardens. But yesterday a group of volunteers and I outwitted Manhattan’s elements (tar, smog, and steel) to plant a beautiful – and yes, green – garden for low income seniors.

Gardening has never come easily to me. I’ve never considered myself as having a green-thumb. But being a volunteer coordinator forces you to be a fast-learner, so recently I’ve learned a thing or two about how to plant a successful garden in New York.

First of all, I had to find somewhere to buy plants that delivers (inexpensively) to the Upper East Side. Surprisingly, that wasn’t too difficult to find. Home Depot has a great fresh flower selection and offers same-day delivery at a reasonable price. They also have a great variety of plant-life that can thrive with little-to-no sunlight (sunlight being a precious commodity in this city).

After that, I just had to hope for good weather. Luckily it was a perfect spring day when eight volunteers from Temple Shaaray Tefila arrived at our Upper East Side senior residence. Coincidentally several volunteers had considerable gardening experience, which made my life much easier. Even the young teen volunteers knew what they were doing! One teenager even gave me a helpful hint: when transplanting, you should remove the soil from the roots so that they grab on to the soil faster (see the roots in the photo below). I concluded from this experience that, despite the odds, lots of New Yorkers know what they’re doing in a garden-patch.


Here are the flower arrangements we decided on according to growing conditions and – of course – how great it looks.


We had more than enough flowers to create a border and used the extras for nice looking clusters every ninth flower. It was a volunteer’s suggestion and I think it made the space look fuller and more symmetrical. You can see our floral arrangement in the picture above.

At the end of the day, we all felt proud of our handiwork. Now, with a little tender love and care, these flowers will be around all summer for the enjoyment of Met Council’s low income senior clients.

Why do I need a Volunteer Questionnaire?

A Volunteer Coordinator's Opinion:

Back in high school I volunteered tutoring children at a Settlement House. I simply showed up and they had me working with the kids in minutes. I asked if they needed my name, and they responded "I guess so". That was it!
Then in college I volunteered tutoring inmates at a nearby County Jail. This required a doctor's visit, TB test, multiple orientations, background checks, and weekly "signature checks" and ID scans. I know that volunteering at a correctional facility has (and should have) very specific regulations, but I can't help but think that checking up on volunteers should lie somewhere in between these two extremes.
When I started working as one of the Volunteer Coordinators at Met Council, I saw our required Volunteer Questionnaire and thought it seemed like the perfect compromise. Volunteers have told me countless times how easy it is to volunteer with Met Council. There are no mandatory doctor’s notes or series of multiple, long orientation meetings.
Of course, not everyone agrees. One of the first volunteers I reached out to felt our Questionnaire was inappropriate and intrusive, and actually walked away from volunteering with Met Council. This made me question how appropriate a Volunteer Questionnaire really is. People are volunteering after all, aren’t they? Shouldn’t Met Council make things as easy as possible for them?
Then I thought about the fabulous work our volunteers our doing. Since our volunteers are able to make such an impact in our organization, they are working in our office, with our employees, and with our clients. Oftentimes, volunteers are helping out at Met Council’s housing sites.
Volunteers are valued like employees at Met Council, and like any company or organization, we need to know who is working with us. Therefore, it’s important to know some basic information about who is volunteering with us.

Of course, any questions about Volunteer Questionnaires can be directed to the Volunteer Department at volunteer@metcouncil.org!

Volunteers are Valuable

When you volunteer your time and skills at a not-for-profit in New York, you are actually saving them around $28.52. That was the current dollar value for volunteer time * in New York in 2008 (Independent Sector).

Just imagine. Because of volunteers, not-for-profits can spend this money on someone that is poverty-stricken. I know that Met Council can certainly use every penny they can get.

So, thank you for your efforts. Thank you for being as valuable as you are!

(Source: independentsector.org)

* Please note that this is the average wage for non-agricultural, non-managerial positions and is to be used only as a tool to show how valuable volunteers are. The BLS offers the value of hourly wages by occupation.

Volunteer and Get Recognized!

President's Volunteer Service Award

Did you know that you can get an award for volunteering from the President himself? I know, I know, volunteering has plenty of intangible rewards but I think most of us wouldn’t protest to something a little extra such as a lapel pin and a letter from the Commander in Chief.
All you have to do is volunteer for a certified not-for profit, community organization, government agency or even a business and track your hours as you go along. Once the 12 months are up, you can earn a bronze, silver, or gold award depending on how many hours you put in and your age. Children under 14 years of age only have to work 50 hours!
What trumps all of these awards is the President’s Call to Service Award, presented to individuals that have provided 4000 or more hours of service over the course of their lifetime. Imagine how much help that is!
Just get your organization to become a certifying one and you can soon be recognized! Met Council is a certifying organization that recognizes its volunteers for all of their hard work. For us, the saying “when you give a little, you get a lot” really holds true.

(Source: http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/tg/pvsainfo/dspAboutAwards.cfm)