By Pam Zeutenhorst
With the holidays nearly upon us, many individuals and families act upon the spirit of the season by volunteering. For some it is an annual tradition. For others, it may be the start a new tradition or the first time volunteering. Whatever the reason, I applaud everybody’s efforts to be more engaged in their community.
One holiday season, a group of retired carpenters donated more than 250 handmade wooden toys to the Volunteer Center where I worked. Make that unpainted wooden toys. Although we could have distributed the toys without painting them, the few that were painted looked very appealing. So, our quandary was: Where do we, on very short notice, find enough people to paint almost 250 toys?
Solution: Nearby was an assisted living facility. The Activities Director was contacted to see if this would be a project they would be willing to tackle. The response was an overwhelming YES! It took them only three days and some of the residents’ grandchildren got involved. Were the paint jobs perfect, no…but I think it made toys even better!
Outcome: Brightly painted toys and new pool of volunteers discovered. The volunteers were already looking forward to next year’s painting party! In addition, the Activities Director commented about the “boost given” to residents to be able to “do something to help.”
Gift: Provide an opportunity to for a group of people often overlooked as potential volunteers to serve and develop an on-going relationship with them for future projects.
It never ceases to amaze me how often challenges can turn into a great opportunity. It is also amazing how many “great opportunities” Volunteer Managers given. Have you had a “challenge” that turned into a “great opportunity?” Share your experience on the VolunteerMaine Peer2Peer Forum.
Pam Zeutenhorst is theTraining and Disability Coordinator at The Maine Commission for Community Service and a guest blogger.
Too often the real importance of stories like these get lost in the frenzy and stress of the season. Thanks, Pam, for sharing and inspiring me to turn this type of challenge into an opportunity for meaningful service!
It is such an important reminder that we all have something to give. It may take some creativity to find out what exactly that is, but that is part of the mystery and the responsibility of an effective volunteer manager to create those linkages.