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Volunteer Chore Services, CCS staff honored
Several CCS staff that work in our organization’s volunteer programs were honored for their outstanding achievements during the annual Volunteer Chore Services and Senior Corps statewide service day on June 10th. This year marks the 28th anniversary of the Volunteer Chore Services-Balance of State Program, which was established in 1981.
The “What a Great Idea!” Award was presented to seven CCS staff for creative and innovative ideas that can be adapted for use by local program offices throughout the state. Recipients of the “What a Great Idea!” Award were:
Jan Anders (Olympia): Brochure Displays
Jan put volunteer recruitment materials in places where people spend time waiting and looking around. She procured free-standing holders that are used to place the VCS brochures in businesses and offices such as auto mechanics, lube shops, beauty shops, dentists’ and doctors’ offices, etc.
Adria Briehl (King County): Clothing Donation
Adria received a donation of warm weather clothing, and brought it to clients at her Issaquah Meals program. She personally invited meal attendees to the clothing table. Her warm and friendly invitations made it fun for everyone and encouraged them to accept the clothing.
Kerrie Carbary (King County): Giving the Gift of Volunteering
Environmentally conscious “waste-free” gift-giving sites suggest giving experiences for the holidays, instead of material items. Kerrie came up with the waste-free holiday suggestion of volunteering in the name of a friend or family member. It was published on the website during the holidays and Kerrie offered a gift certificate, stating that the giver was performing volunteer service in honor of the recipient.
Rachel Davis (King County): Phone Buddies and Networking
Rachel Davis proposed connecting clients by phone, with either volunteers or other clients, to provide companionship and a listening ear to those starved for conversation. When Rachel met with the Mayor’s Office for Seniors to let them know about this special project, the mayor’s staff was especially interested in how this program could provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to volunteer without leaving their homes.
Rachel also volunteers for the City of Seattle's Commission on Sexual Minorities committee for seniors and youth. The commission has a hard time getting feedback from seniors, and Rachel suggested that they could combine community outreach with volunteering for the holidays by delivering Shoeboxes of Joy and/or providing light housework to LGBT seniors.
Kizzie Funkhouser (King County): Improving Publicity & Christmas Volunteering
When a local paper published a full-page story on VCS online, Kizzie sent the link to all her volunteers and urged them to read the story and share it with their families and friends. This helped the article become one of the “most read” stories on this paper’s website and gave VCS additional publicity.
When one of Kizzie’s volunteers asked where she could volunteer on Christmas Day, Kizzie suggested visiting one of her clients who did not have family in the area. Other staff and volunteers followed suit and visited VCS clients on Christmas Day, providing companionship and even some assistance with housework to those who would otherwise be alone.
Thao Le (FGP-King County): Communication Styles
Thao takes time to get to know each Foster Grandparent and observe their communication style and personality. She then adapts her communication style to match theirs: serious and straightforward for those who have a more businesslike approach, or casual and joking for those who enjoy a more informal approach.
Bev Sweet (VCS-King County): Volunteer Endorsements and New Volunteer Retention
When Bev has a volunteer leaving the program, she asks them to send her a brief description of their work with the client, and then she uses it to describe a potential match to a new volunteer. The enthusiastic comments from the previous volunteer help "sell" the assignment to a new volunteer.
Bev also invites new volunteers to participate in a group project as soon as they join the program. This puts them to work right away, so they don’t have to wait around while their required paperwork is being processed.
Teri Wensits (Port Angeles): IRIS-V Suggestions
Teri has given a number of great suggestions regarding the implementation of IRIS-V. Her diligent testing efforts and feedback have helped the team considerably. Her ideas and suggestions regarding the ongoing development and roll-out of the IRIS-V system have had significant and positive impact. She has also assisted other staff members in learning how to use the system.
Award recipients are nominated by their regional VCS directors and selected by Gail Dubin, Director of Volunteer Chore Services-Balance of State.
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