Newcomers Club Members Reach Out into the Community
How Volunteers Help
Volunteers in a Kindergarten Class (by B.P.)
My life is brightened weekly by the shining faces of five- and six-year-olds at a nearby elementary school. I have volunteered for seven years in a kindergarten class, helping with academic skills and crafts. This is a fantastic job for me. I get hugs and smiles from the children, and grateful thanks from the teachers who have so many to work with. I also got on the PTA email list so have the chance to do other things like the Book Fair. Just inquire at any school to find out how you can get involved.
Volunteers with the Assistance League of the Triangle Area and International Affairs Council (by N.W.)
Here are two organizations that I belong to and support with my time. I think volunteering helps our community. Volunteering is very rewarding personally.
The Assistance League of the Triangle Area is a 501(3)(c) non-profit, all-volunteer organization and a chapter of the National Assistance League. It has served the community for 12 years through service, resources and financial support. 100% of funds raised stay in the Triangle area to carry out local programs. In 2007, the Antiques to Zippers Thrift Shop was opened in Raleigh at 1689 North Market Dr. Operated by volunteers, this shop helps raise funds for the chapter’s philanthropic programs, which include: Kid’s Place at WakeMed, Women in Need (WIN, The Women’s Center of Wake County), Operation School Bell, and Scholarships. For additional information, go to http://www.altriangle.org or call 919-235-4554.
The International Affairs Council (IAC) is a community-based organization that champions knowledge and understanding of world affairs and culture in the Research Triangle region. It plans itineraries for visiting international dignitaries and professionals interested in business development, education, and other topics; hosts a series of events that bring seasoned, high profile speakers to the Triangle community; and supports the internationalization of K-12 curriculum through innovative programming. For the last several years, IAC (http://www.iacnc.org) has hosted more than 600 international visitors in the Triangle, earning the rank of 6 out of 96 similar community-based organizations in the USA. I have enjoyed hosting dinners for visitors and home-hosting visitors during their longer stays here. It’s been wonderful to learn about other countries and meet very interesting people.
Volunteers at the WakeMed Main Campus (by S.H.)
I volunteer two four-hour shifts per week as a receptionist in the Critical (or intensive) Care Waiting Room at the main campus of WakeMed. There are 68 patients here, and the waiting room holds about 120 people – although there is normally about a third of that number in the waiting room. The receptionists (and there are two-three of us) relay phone calls and messages to family members who are waiting to visit or hear about their patient. Calls can be from the outside from friends and other family members, or from the unit where the patient is, or from the operating room. The WakeMed, Raleigh Campus performs many heart surgeries; four of the seven Critical Care units are heart-related. Another main one is the neurological intensive care unit (ICU) for neurosurgery patients. There are three things in particular I really like about volunteering in this capacity: the pace is always busy; there is no doubt at the end of your shift that you have helped others in some way; and the people with whom you work are great.
Volunteers at RDU Airport, Red Cross, and Lions Clinic (by D.R.)
When I worked for the NY State Employee Pension Plan, I noticed that retirees who kept busy were the happiest and seemed to live the longest. Since I retired, I have kept myself busy volunteering. Organizations I currently volunteer with are: the Raleigh-Durham Airport, where I work at an Information desk; the Red Cross, where I check people in at a blood donation center; and the Raleigh Lions Clinic, where I read to blind Employees and assist them with correspondence.
Volunteers for The American Cancer Society (by R.S.)
Our 3.5 million members are dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health concern. We do this by preventing cancer, saving lives, and reducing cancer suffering through research, education, advocacy and patient services. I spent six years in ACS’s "Road to Recovery" program driving patients to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Currently I am working on a grass-roots advocacy project to get the NC Legislature to pass House Bill 2, "Prohibit Smoking in Public and Work Places." On March 24, 2009, along with hundreds of ACS volunteers, I traveled to the Capitol to lobby our representatives for passage of this bill. I have also been involved in ACS’s "Relay for Life," our signature fund-raising event. Last year we raised more than $350 million; 21 million went to fund cancer research conducted here in North Carolina. To learn more about volunteer opportunities with The American Cancer Society, go to http://www.cancer.org or call: 1-800-ACS-2345.
American Cancer Society Update:
Leadership Council Members:
At the beginning of the month, WRAL featured our Road to Recovery program on their evening news. A link to the story is pasted below, and we'd like to especially thank Leadership Council member Bob Schechner who was included in the story. As of today, 115 new volunteers have contacted our office and have been scheduled to attend a volunteer orientation so they can get help get cancer patients on the "Road to Recovery." This is an absolutely amazing response, and one that will enable us to begin to serve the nearly 1300 cancer patients we estimate will face some kind of burden getting to their lifesaving treatment.
http://www.wral.com/news/
Thanks for your support of the fight against cancer!
Dan Thorpe, MS Ed
Area Executive Director
American Cancer Society
8300 Health Park, Suite 10
Raleigh, NC 27615
Direct: 919-728-0049
Fax: 919-841-1422
Together, we're saving lives and creating more birthdays by helping you stay well, helping you get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer.