There are so many reasons why people volunteer, and this year community needs are higher than ever. As we face the challenges of COVID-19, many individuals have stepped up to lend a hand, show compassion, and use their time and talents to help others through the pandemic.
We are so thankful for the dedicated members of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. RSVP is the nation’s largest volunteer network for people age 55 and older who want to make a difference in their community. These individuals rise up every day across America to meet critical needs in their neighborhoods.
Right here in Akron, Ohio, we talked to RSVP volunteer Alain Wulff about his experiences. He had a lot to share about what volunteering means to him and how others can get involved. Meet Alain!
Why do you volunteer with RSVP?
Last year, over 200,000 Senior Corps volunteers donated time to nearly 25,000 coast-to-coast sites. I am proud to be included among those volunteers. Countless others serve without belonging to any formal organization advocating volunteerism. I could do so too, but I find it important to contribute where possible through RSVP because we can accomplish more as an organization. Strength is in numbers.
Why is volunteering important to you and what impact has it had on you?
It is important because there is an exponentially growing need for volunteers to contribute in so many ways to so many initiatives. A failure to do so could lead to a shortfall in the services provided to those in need regardless of circumstance. Take the remarks delivered Thursday, November 5 by the Salvation Army’s leadership during the launch of their Holiday Red Kettle Campaign. The current pandemic makes many volunteers, earlier quite active, reluctant to return to what surely was a beloved and now missed activity. Fewer volunteers are currently asked to do more. A growing aging population exacerbates the need for countless services.
Many organizations rely on volunteers and were it not for their altruism, would be unable to do what they do. Their budgets would be unable to fill that shortfall. It can be that critical.
Impact? I pray that what I do leads to favorable outcomes. I perform my tasks, chat lightly with those to whom I’m delivering a service. Suddenly that person tells me were it not for the two meals requested, he and his wife wouldn’t have a hot lunch that day. Or the single mom who asks for four meals, three for her children. Granted, area school districts are providing meals for the students learning online, who, had they been at school would have had breakfast and lunch. Still…
Suddenly, my thinking about what to prepare for dinner that evening, whether to make a quick grocery run, is irrelevant. I was worried about a quiche and salad and the mother I just served, whether her children will eat that night. Impact. Relevance. I see it at month’s end too, when families relying on SNAP are waiting for cards to be refilled.
What have you learned about yourself through volunteering with RSVP and your different volunteer stations?
Don’t beat myself over situations I’m unable to change. Occasionally, I remember the Serenity Prayer. Each station offers a unique opportunity, and to serve properly I have learned to adapt. “Dogmatic don’t cut it, Vern.” This coming from someone with some Prusso-Russian DNA in him.
How did you get involved with so many different volunteer stations and what keeps you coming back?
Wishing to give, hoping to make a difference, or having failed, knowing I gave it my all. I keep coming back because somewhere, it works. My involvement with children, many from dysfunctional families and at times realizing, such as when at Norton Primary, it’s more than literacy, I’m sometimes the father figure the child is lacking.
Each Salvation Army station where I volunteer has a common purpose: Nutrition. Yet each is also a station unto itself. Each has a different story, volunteer, or person served.
When working with your volunteer stations, what most energizes you and why?
Service, making friends, joining friends, having fun, and it’s mentally, emotionally, physically stimulating. Volunteering is important to me because I am giving and it’s emotionally, mentally, and physically stimulating. I will have typically walked about two miles within the Salvation Army’s Pantry by the time I leave!
Why should others volunteer with RSVP?
They will positively impact someone’s life.
*Picture was taken prior to COVID-19.
What has been the most rewarding part of volunteering?
Again, making a positive difference in someone’s life, perhaps only a small step occasionally but you leave behind something positive. Friendship, whether with the volunteers or those served. Some of the Patterson Park clients tell us it’s not only meals served, but the socialization with others also coming to eat or with us who are serving.
What are three descriptive words that your volunteer stations or those you serve would use to describe you?
I’m housebroken, loyal, well-trained, love to have my belly scratched, and as a super treat sometimes am offered people food. That’s when I wag my tail a lot. OK, OK. Passionate, committed, outgoing.
If you could encourage someone else to volunteer with RSVP, what would you say?
You WILL make a positive difference in someone’s life. Probably the nth time I’ve said. Do something !
Anything else you want to share about volunteering with RSVP?
I volunteer with RSVP because there’s a strong need for volunteers our age who can share a wealth of experience and knowledge with those we serve. We have so much to contribute, given the years lived, our education, accomplishments, career, places traveled, things seen. We can and do make a difference in the lives of those served. And for those who think there might be physical demands one is unable to meet – bologna, or something like that. You don’t need to be a graduate of SEAL TEAM 6’s physical training program. There’s a place for everyone at the volunteer table!
About Alain
Over time, Alain has volunteered as an English/Spanish/French/Portuguese interpreter, Rotarian, Divemaster and Rescue Diver, Haven of Rest Men’s Division assistant, is a member of the Summit County Health Department EMA CERT, former co-chair of the Steel Academy Charter School, former Steel Academy Spanish class assistant and tutor, former member of the RSVP Business Advisory Board, a SCSEP mentor, YMCA-CATCH volunteer, “furloughed” by the pandemic, Norton Primary School kindergarten assistant and literacy tutor, also “furloughed” by the pandemic, and is currently an active Salvation Army volunteer. He is also involved with Stan Hywet as a volunteer and Auxiliary Board member.
*The information in this article is intended solely to provide general information on matters of interest for the personal use of the reader, who accepts full responsibility for its use. This article should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional legal, medical, or other competent advisors.