Volunteer

2008 Volunteer Dinner2008 Volunteer Dinner

Many of the weekly Activities at both Centers are supported by Volunteers. Art classes, needlework projects, crafts projects, sing-a-longs, holiday celebrations, and gardening are a few of the many activities Volunteers lead or support.

Also, Volunteers provide the staff needed to host events such as the Senior Games.

Administrative Support Volunteers

There is always more that can be done! Volunteers work as vital staff extenders, providing critical staff and administrative support. For example, volunteers recently assisted in developing painting and landscaping plans to improve the appearance of Centers, filled in as Receptionists during an employee absence, and completed a mailing to prospective advertisers.

 
Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors volunteers provide oversight to the Governance and Administration of our agency, including all financial aspects. The Board is comprised of sixteen citizens of Chatham County, eleven being aged 60 or older and five being younger than 60 years of age. The Board meets monthly, reviews the financial condition of the agency, reviews Programs and Services, and participates in Strategic Planning and fund raising.

Board members volunteer at the Senior Centers in different ways, according to their individual interests. The current Board members participate in:

  • Volunteer-staffed tax return assistance program (VITA)
  • Seniors Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)
  • Health education clinics
  • Fund raisers
  • Buildings and Grounds Team
  • Nutrition Committee
  • … and many more daily activities and programs.Caregiver Support Program Volunteers

We hold meetings, activities and events for Caregivers that support them in their caregiving efforts, provide them with a stronger sense of community in the face of the isolation they sometimes face, and offer in home respite care to provide “free time” for activities, exercise and errands.

Volunteers help with the meetings in many ways, including providing respite care at our Centers during the meetings, activities and events.

They also assist the Caregiver Program through clerical and administrative projects designed to inform people of the Program.     

Certification Committee Volunteers

As we work toward achieving designation as National Senior Centers of Excellence, a two year self-study, Volunteers work side-by-side with staff and Board members to evaluate our Programs and Activities.

This program involves all staff, all Board members and approximately twenty Volunteers.

In-Home Services Volunteers

Friendly visitors for homebound seniors, friendly phone calls during severe weather, medical appointment transportation, grocery shopping transportation – these are some of the services our Volunteers provide to clients of our In-Home Services. 
 
We currently have more than 100 clients who receive in-home services. Our Volunteers provide “above and beyond” support to these clients, and enhance what the Council on Aging is able to provide. Volunteers are primarily to thank for the minor home repair program because the majority of the labor and materials used are donated and all of the assistive devices loaned to our clients are donated. 

Nutrition Program Volunteers

Volunteers work in our Senior Center dining rooms and help serve more than 20,000 meals a year. Schedules vary, with some working one day a week and others working three to four days a week. The noontime meal Volunteers also participate in the Activities and Wellness Programs that are offered mid-day in the Centers.

Volunteers drive our countywide home delivered meal routes to take almost 17,000 nutritious lunches a year to homebound seniors.

Generally, the Volunteers come to know the people on their routes well enough to stay for a brief visit and to identify any other needs the seniors might have, for example heat relieving electric fans, minor home repairs, caregiver respites, or nonperishable food.

Volunteers pick the meals up at a central location near the route and make the home deliveries. Some routes take almost two hours and some closer to one hour.  Volunteers help stock our Food Pantries, both through donating or collecting the pantries’ provisions and arranging the stock for easy access.

Travelers

The Council on Aging sponsors a variety of trips throughout the year; day trips to area events and overnight trips to places of interest. Staff and Volunteers accompany the Travelers on these trips to provide organization and whatever assistance the trip participants might need.

Volunteer Coordination

Every meal route, every trip, every fund raiser, and every program and activity requires communication and coordination between Volunteers, participants and staff. Staff performs much of this role on a daily basis, but Volunteers also work in leadership roles leading teams of other Volunteers for projects and  “big events.”